Advent of the Spiraling Ninja of Uzushio
by Born of Prayers
Summary: Rated T for violence: Forced to leave behind Konoha after Hinata is hurt, Naruto ventures out to the his fallen homeland in order to survive. Reuniting with his mother, they plan to resurrect his Father & Uzushio once again...If they just so happened to topple the Mizukage, screw over Orochimaru, meet Jinchuurki, or save a few villages along the way, a bonus really...
1. Naruto: Story Prologue

**Advent of the Spiraling Ninja: Prologue**

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: Revised as of 12/15**

**Beta: Bluemew22**

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><p><em>At the Ninja Academy<em>

I lost myself in the crimson haze.

A group of drunken idiots attacked me outside of the Academy, the day after I became a genin. They were all chuunin, meaning they were dangerous, and while Iruka-sensei was busy fending three of them off, another lunged at me from behind. He had a kunai drawn, intending to plunge it into the base of my spinal cord.

It should have been a fatal strike...

"Naruto-kun!" cried a girl named Hinata, as she took the kunai to her back and fell to the ground. She protected me, even though I never thought anyone besides Iruka-sensei, Old Man, and the nice people at the Ramen shop would. In shock, I couldn't move as the man attempted to kill me again.

Before the kunai embedded itself into my forehead, I found myself inside a sewer. There were iron bars acting like a prison, the darkness hiding everything but a pair of feral eyes and a sinister grin. Staring at me, the creature spoke.

"_**Kit… call upon my power,**_" the dark voice said. _**"Do you intend to die after that female sacrificed herself for you? It will not happen again.**__"_

I just couldn't figure out why it happened. Hinata-chan and I never really spoke before, and we weren't close, so why? "Why did she sacrifice herself for me?"

The voice chuckled. _**"You are truly blind, chasing after that pink-haired, shrill, fangirl. I've smelled the purple-haired kit through you; she is constantly lurking around you, releasing pheromones. She wished to be your mate, if I had to guess.**_"

"Hinata-chan… she liked me?" I muttered. She never said anything, but she never picked on me. She was like a wallflower: growing on the wall, but never standing out. And she was cut down because of me, plucked before she could bloom.

They. Would. Pay for this.

Everything grew blood red, and hatred filled me. I could take the constant beatings, being robbed and treated like trash, even being called a demon. But they crossed the damn line this time.

The creature lying in the shadows chuckled. _**"Ironic. That man saved this pathetic village, and all he asked was for you to be treated as a hero. But year after year, they treat you worse and worse. Why should you serve this village?**_"

"N-no…" I muttered, trying to calm down. I wanted them to accept me. I wanted them to treat me kindly, like the Old Man and Iruka and—

_**"It will never happen here, kit. They fear you because of me. Their fear controls them. I had no intention of ever attacking this village at first, but the masked one was responsible for that. Yet, I have come to understand that few people will ever accept us. Only the one who created us could ever do so, and not since then have I ever trusted another one of your kind.**_"

"Wait…" I opened my eyes in shock and took a step back from the bars. "You're the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox! The Kyuubi! This is all because of you!"

"_**Oh, how so?**_" the fox chuckled. "_**I didn't ask to be sealed inside you. I didn't want to attack your home. I'm not the one who tormented you, am I? It was all them.**_"

I honestly tried to refute the fox's words, but the sad thing was they were all true. I fell to my knees, creating a ripple in the water below me. They feared me for something beyond our control.

"_**Time is running out. I shall give you enough of my power to deal with these fleas. But it will reveal your nature to the others around you; they will hunt you down without mercy. Use it to save your own life and flee from the village, the only option is to stay and die.**_"

I blinked and saw the kunai coming towards my face once again. It was slow, moving at a pace that even turtles could surpass. I raised my fist and plunged it into the man's stomach, and he flew. His body flew into the Academy building, sending him through the concrete that formed the exterior, his legs dangling from the hole he made.

Everyone was silent and watching me, as I turned to face the three that Iruka-sensei was having trouble with. In a blur, my elongated nails became claws and tore into their flesh, fresh blood splattering my outfit. They fell to the ground in pain, clawing at the wounds I gave them.

"_**Iruka-sensei,**_" I said in a slightly distorted voice. "_**Make sure she lives,**_" I said, pointing to the injured Hinata-chan. "_**And tell the Old Man… 'I'm Sorry'… and 'Good Bye'.**_"

Before he could respond, I kicked off the ground and took to the rooftops, leaving cracked earth beneath my takeoff point. The world around me blurred, as my vision shifted to match the speed I was moving. Passing the gate that led out of Konoha, I entered the surrounding forest and simply ran as far as I could.

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><p><em>Outside the Village<em>

The fox finally spoke up, when I was a good distance away. "_**Sharpen your senses, kit. There are many pursuers coming. You fate will not be kind if they catch you.**_**"**

It must've been ANBU chasing after me. Forming the cross-seal, I called out "_**Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**_" Several pops echoed, as countless clones appeared and scattered throughout the land, running in multiple directions. I didn't think I could fight any ANBU, I didn't want to now, but I doubted they could pick me out of all of us.

I learned that I gained the memories of shadow clones once they were dispelled, as several of the ANBU resorted to lethal force. By the time I exhausted the chakra that the fox gave me I had managed to get away from them and hidden myself.

"_**You can no longer go back to that village, kit. Nor will they stop hunting you. I recall a memory from a previous host, a safe place for you to hide. Your only salvation lies at the ruins of Uzushiogakure, the Village Hidden by the Whirling Tides...**_" the fox said.

"How do I get there?"

"_**Head to the Land of Whirlpools, off the coast of the Land of Fire. You should be half way to the port by now, given how far you ran. Tell no one of my presence.**_"

With those words, I began my journey. I'll admit that it was stupid of me to trust the fox, but he didn't want to die and neither did I. They'd kill me if I went back, and so I could only go forward. I wanted to become Hokage so that they'd accept me, but now I realized that it wouldn't happen. Not now.

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><p><em>At the Ruins of Uzushio<em>

Along the way, I had to steal to survive. The only other way to make money was to gamble, but after winning too much, people had a tendency to try to rob me. I had to use the Transformation jutsu to avoid being caught, and I had to ditch my normal orange clothes to avoid attracting attention.

I was helped by several people, including a fisherman who took me as far as he could to reach the Land of Whirlpools. Needless to say it was surrounded by...well, whirlpools. Good thing the guy was decent at maneuvering the boat. After that, we parted and I watched as he managed to get past the whirlpools once again and left.

As I crossed the emerald green hills that formed a sea of grass, I felt a light breeze on my face that felt wonderful. Once I got to the top of the steep hill I was on, I saw countless broken buildings and stone structures ruined, nothing left behind in one piece. The wind howled as it blew past the remains, as if crying for the lives lost in the destruction. There wasn't anything salvageable left in the village, no doubt raided after the initial attack or taken by fleeing survivors.

The village was split in the center by a wide river, surrounded by broken pillars with spirals designs similar to the Konoha emblem, with several stones piercing the flowing water. The current met the rocks, and formed small whirlpools.

"_**You have arrived, kit.**_" the fox said in a low voice. "_**I'd imagine this would be a cruel sight for your surviving clan members, who are scattered throughout the world. Nevertheless, the memories of my previous host indicate there is a large whirlpool at the center of the village, in the path of the river. Find it.**_"

I walked into the ruins and found the whirlpool that the fox was talking about. It was wide enough to fit about five people, rotating clockwise, and was surrounded by about a dozen smaller whirlpools.

"**Now, cut yourself and rub the kunai with your blood. Then throw it into the whirlpool.**" I did what the fox said, and the main whirlpool began to glow azure blue and rotate counter-clockwise, while the others dissipated from sight. "_**The fresh blood of the Uzumaki Clan leads the way. Jump in.**_"

I thought about it for a minute, but I shrugged and jumped in anyway. I had nothing left to lose. It felt like warm water was washing over me, as I sunk into the tunnel of spiraling water. I was gently pulled into a cavern, somewhere underground, where orange flames danced on spiral shaped candles, creating an illuminated path further in.

Deep inside, I found a large building, built into the stone cavern, with the same spiral design as the candles. The entrance door was metal, with a giant seal engraved on it. The seal was a hexagon made of scribbled words, with another spiral in the center. There was a passage underneath it:

_This door will only open for the clan of whirlpools._

I cut my hand with another kunai and placed it on the spiral. The emblem lit up with a passive color, and spread to the surrounding scribbles before the door shook. It slowly opened up and revealed the interior of the building. The moment I stepped inside, the door came down and left me in the dark, until several lanterns inside the building suddenly came to life.

Inside the building were emergency rations, bedrooms, supplies, a few weapons, and some scrolls about various things. I saw that some things had been shuffled around and disorganized, meaning that some survivors must have hidden here before leaving the island. In the back of the building was a vault door, which had the same passage as the door did. So, I did the same thing as before and opened it.

Inside were rows of scrolls, each holding techniques and facts about the clan, a few chests with treasure, more weapons and equipment, village headbands, and in the center was a template human puppet with no hair or features, only a seal on its stomach. It was inside an even larger seal on the floor, which circled it.

"_**Ah, yes...perfect.**_" the fox whispered. "_**Place your hand on the doll's seal and call out the name I tell you to. Concentrate your chakra on the seal holding me in, and move it into the doll.**_"

"What'll happen when I do?" I asked. "It won't kill me, or let you escape will it?"

"_**As much as I desire to escape, I realize that half of my chakra is sealed beyond my reach. I am no longer as powerful as I was before, and the moment I reappear, another village or that masked man will try to contain and control me. Make no mistake, kit. I will escape someday, however I will only do so once he has been dealt with.**_"

"Then, what's with the puppet?"

"_**If you die, I die and it will be years before I can reform. I need for you to grow strong enough to survive for my sake. You cannot do that on your own, so you need a trainer. The trainer must be loyal to you and keep your existence a secret, so I intend to use the puppet and the chakra the previous host left, whom I know will be loyal and trustworthy...to you anyway.**_"

Thinking for a few minutes, I slowly placed my hand on the puppet's seal. "...What's the name I need to call?"

"_**Kushina Uzumaki.**_" the fox snarled. My mind froze when I heard that name. "_**Yes, kit. Your mother's chakra is inside me. While I loathe my previous host, she is necessary in ensuring your survival. Now is the time to call for her.**_"

Gathering the chakra inside my seal, I pushed it forward and into the puppet's seal. The room itself became illuminated, as the seal on the floor glowed brighter and brighter. Heat began pouring out of the puppet, my hand felt like fire and my vision was obscured. Some kind of pressure built up inside the puppet, slowly becoming more resistant to fill with chakra, until I was launched backwards and into the wall outside the vault.

My world blinked and grew darker and darker, as I slowly fell into black sleep.

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><p><em>Later<em>

On the edge of darkness, I heard a sweet voice humming a song I never heard before.

_On the green hills,_

_By the spiraling waves,_

_The birds are chirping above,_

_The fish lay beneath the waves,_

_We draw our seals,_

_We lay in wait,_

_The whirlpools protect us,_

_We will rise again._

I opened my eyes, and saw a beautiful woman over me. Her long tomato red hair, framed her face, and her closed eyes somehow put me at peace. My head was in her lap, and her arms were on my chest. She rocked back and forth, while humming her song, giving me a sense of peace and warmth I didn't know of. When she finished the song, she opened her eyes and reveal gentle blue eyes, only a shade lighter than mine.

"Hello, my little Naruto…" she said gently.

"… Mom…?" I asked weakly, sitting up, only to have her embrace me tightly.

"You've gotten so big," she said. "You look just like your father."

"M-mom," I stuttered, my voice cracking. I felt the wet tears trailing down my face.

"_**As much as I loathe this touching moment between mother and kit, you should probably tell her about the situation in the village,**_" the fox said slyly. As much as I'd hate to admit it, the furball was right.

I pulled away from her and wiped my tears away. "Mom, I have to tell you about something."

I told her about my life up until now, including what happened in the village recently. I was basically a missing-nin at this point. She broke down and hugged me even tighter than before, constantly apologizing and saying how she was disappointed in the village, and my godfather, who was apparently a famous ninja.

"As much as I dislike the fox, I am thankful that he saved you. Even if it was for selfish reasons," she muttered, to which the fox chuckled. "He's right, Jinchuuriki aren't exactly liked, but they tend to be hunted. I was the previous host of the Kyuubi and a shinobi, so I'll train you in our clan's sealing arts, but first I want to see what's left of the village."

She guided me to a dead end, before placing her hand on the wall. The next thing I knew, we were back in the ruins, with a seal underneath us. I looked at her and she said, "It was something similar to your father's signature technique, but simpler."

She looked around with a sad look on her face, walking to a building that must've stood tall considering the amount of debris. She waded through it, until she reached a certain section and told me to help her clear it. Under the rubble was another seal that responded to her, revealing a hidden staircase.

Inside was another storage room, filled with things that would've belonged to a young girl. When I wiped the dust from a picture, it revealed a young Kushina. She was standing in front of a magnificent building, smiling.

"This was your home before you came to the Konoha," I said. She nodded.

"Naruto," she said in a stern voice. "I want you to grow up and live as long as possible, in a place that will accept you. To that end, I'm going to be a harsh teacher. We'll train here for a year, before we set out into the world."

"What will we do then?"

She smiled at me. "We'll work towards rebuilding this village."


	2. Chapter 1: Training in Uzushiogakure

**Chapter 1: Training in the Land of Whirlpools**

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: Revised as of 12/15**

**Beta: Bluemew22**

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><p><em>At the Land of Whirlpools<em>

It had been only four months since Naruto reached the Land of Whirlpools and the fallen village of Uzushio. Using a special puppet, he pulled out his mother's chakra and she was given a physical vessel to inhabit. There were a couple of conditions, such as Naruto having to transfer his own chakra into a seal on her stomach whenever she ran low, otherwise she would vanish, but it was worth it.

"Alright kids, we're going to get started with the daily routine. Remember, those who complete their training or get the furthest every hour or so should dispel themselves before we start again so the experience goes to each of you."

"Yes ma'am," about a thousand or so voices responded back. She smirked upon seeing her sons beginning their training.

When Naruto was asked to demonstrate what he had learned in the Academy, he showed her. She prompt told him that she was going to introduce those instructors to her fist and then the floor. They had sabotaged the boy academically in more ways than one.

His taijutsu needed a lot of work, his chakra control was shot, and the boy wasn't too bright knowledge-wise. Kushina wasn't a Nara, but she at least knew enough about history and the world. Not to mention her taijutsu was formidable.

Thank the Sage of Six Paths for shadow clones. The experience sharing trait was a blessing.

For the first month, Naruto would make several hundred shadow clones a day, increasing the amount every week. He started out with about five hundred clones and as his chakra reserves and control increased with training, he could make more.

Next, the clones would be split into groups.

A few dozen clones would be sent to scour the entire island for food. Even though they had some emergency rations, a shinobi must be able to fend for themselves in the wilderness. A few would hunt for small animals or birds that dotted the island, while others would start fishing with their home made rods.

One group consisting of ten clones would stay in the underground shelter to read up on various subjects. Given his short attention span, that was a punishment worse than death and they complained… until her hair split into nine sections and chains started popping out of her body.

At times like this she wished she knew more about seals that affected the brain.

In the scrolls she found, there were instructions to make mental focusing easier by placing a temporary seal on the clones that would focus their attention on the subject matters at hand. It used chakra to activate the part of the brain that registers when something is pleasurable and fun. She didn't know enough about human psychology or anatomy to risk doing that to anyone, let alone her son.

Next, they had about three groups of clones each working on various training exercises. The first group would do the wall climbing exercise on the tallest standing pillars left in the ruins. The second group would do the water walking exercise on the river. The third group would focus on chakra control exercise that Kushina called "Spiraling Tower".

She basically had them pick blades of grass and balanced them on one finger, before adding another blade on top that one. Naruto would then spin the blades of grass without either one falling off using chakra. At first he only had to spin them, but then he needed to make them spin at the same speed, and then have them spin in different directions at the same time.

Another group of three clones would work on training Naruto in using his Transformation and Substitution jutsu. He needed to learn to alter his weight and mass with each transformation, so he could start using it in conjunction with his clones by transforming them into things like rocks or weapons. He also needed to speed up his substitution… so she used him for a lot of target practice.

The remaining clones would be used to practice memorizing the katas from a form of taijutsu native to their clan, based around circular movements to dodge, block, and strike. The clones gained muscle memory of the forms and then the original and Kushina would spar. She wouldn't hold back either.

He was covered in bruises every time.

Kushina had also tweaked Naruto's seal, since she and Minato were in a rush and cut off some of the necessary functions of the seal.

The seal was formatted with an updated filtration system to clean the chakra more efficiently, and deal with the poisonous effects. She also rigged him with a stronger healing factor by compartmentalizing a section of the fox's yang chakra to be used only for healing him. He didn't need to tap into the raw power of the fox anymore to heal quickly.

The fox was whining about how she was essentially cutting a piece of it off and purifying it, but she shut it up by changing the sewer-like prison to a more open, natural space. It didn't appreciate having a few of her chains as a leash though. She didn't really like the natural disaster, but it did save Naruto's life in the village and they both wanted the masked man dead.

Kushina also trained in mastering as many of her clan's techniques as she could. Her chakra was keeping her anchored to the doll, so she could never go below a certain amount or she'd vanish for good. However, this was easy enough to get around, as Kushina could slowly convert Naruto's lingering chakra into her own. She simply compartmentalized the chakra into regular use, emergency use, and life support.

As a backup, she created seals to hold chakra in any item she wanted and could therefore store any chakra that she didn't use before Naruto refilled her reserves. The puppet body looked and worked like a human's, so it could only hold so much. This way she could refill her reserves on the run or leave a few behind in case something happened.

She could also make a few shadow clones, which she used to study and train along with Naruto. She wasn't really too good at ninjutsu and this gave her a chance to study up on some techniques. If Naruto continued this level of training, he would truly shine.

She was so proud of how he could grasp some semi-complicated seals now.

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><p><em>Flashback<em>

_"Naruto, I want you to look at this seal and tell me what it does." Kushina said, as she handed him a square sheet of paper. It had several circles on it, connected by lines to various symbols, which were isolated by enclosed markings. The borders of the paper had countless line of sealing formula, serving as the base of the seal, to break down the chakra it is imbued with. _

_He examined it for a good ten minutes before speaking. "It has the basic elements on it, along with several bloodline elements, and… I'm not sure which these two are, but it determines the user's element by sealing it inside the seal and then dividing it into properties… I think?"_

_Kushina smiled at him. "The two you didn't recognize are yin and yang elements, the balance of physical and spirit energy. Still you managed to understand it in less than an hour, very good Naruto. Now, tell me what you can do with this seal?"_

_Naruto scratched his head and scrunched up his face in thought. "Umm, well you could test for someone's element with it, but there's chakra paper for that… I've got nothing."_

_"First, this seal can be used to identify if you have an element-based bloodline or your affinity. It's better to use chakra paper as the base for the seal, and then use the proper sequence of code to create a formula to break down the chakra and sort it into the individual elements alone. The other reason is because it can serve as a lock that can only be opened by a certain combination of chakra that belongs to the user. Now, tell me what else I can use it for."_

_"Uh," Naruto rubbed his head. "Chakra-based Traps… and Tracking Seals?"_

_"Yep. Seal someone's chakra inside it and use it in conjunction with a tracking array, or set it to activate on touch and sample the chakra of the person who touched it. If they match, BOOM!" she said, while placing her finger on the symbol in the center of the seal a pouring her chakra into it._

_From the center, a shimmering blue line traveled along a path to the symbol of water. "So, you have a water affinity?" Naruto asked._

_"I wasn't really good at ninjutsu so I never really developed it. But while I do have an affinity for water, I usually use my chakra chains by manipulating yang chakra on a higher level than most people since my chakra has a special quality geared towards it."_

_She then took her finger off the paper and had Naruto place his on it. He had a wind affinity._

_"How about we both work on elemental training together?" she asked him with a smile that would melt the hearts of most men. Naruto nodded enthusiastically._

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><p><em>Back to the Present<em>

Kushina wanted to start Naruto on learning her _Chakra Chain_ jutsu, which used shape manipulation and yang chakra. She would divide the concentration of spiritual and physical energy that made up chakra into a large amount of yang chakra, which gave the chains a physical presence. The form would be kept in place by shape manipulation. It was like setting the mold, the pouring in the liquid steel, and then cooling it down to a solid mass, all at once.

Anyway, since the underground shelter had scrolls on element manipulation, they both decided to start training in it during the second month. They both started by working on cutting and soaking small sheets of scroll paper they found, and then planned to move up to using elemental chakra flow on things like weapons.

Kushina also found an interesting application of water chakra through her study of the scrolls, in contrast to Naruto's wind chakra.

By the middle of the third month, they both could quickly cut and soak an object in about two seconds through pure chakra flow alone. They could dedicate more time towards it later, maybe even getting a second element in practice. But first they wanted to practice some water style and wind style jutsu.

Naruto had gained a bit of muscle on his body after all the training. His clothing had changed, given he lost his previous clothes to throw ANBU off his tail. He wore some simple, dark shinobi pants, a shirt, and combat sandals that they found in the storage room. He complained, but Kushina simply said she was in the same boat until they found a tailor.

She had also gotten back into shape within these four months, losing her excess weight from the time she sealed her chakra into Naruto's seal, and was now back to being a fit kunoichi. Naruto had once made a comment regarding her weight. He wasn't very well versed in common sense either at that point.

One training session later, he swore never to question women when it came to bodily matters, and the fox was laughing his nine tails off.

Despite their relentless training, the pair would take a day off every week to start cleaning up the village as best they could. That included burying any skeletons they came across. Kushina cried more than once in the process, given that her clan was fairly big and she occasionally found child-sized remains. They would also inspect the buildings to see if anything that could be used was left behind. They found some slightly used kunai and shuriken, chakra paper, and other trinkets.

These four months were the best of Naruto's life, and Kushina was happy as well with helping to groom her son to be a respectable shinobi.

* * *

><p><em>That Night<em>

"Huh?" Naruto said, his jaw dropped from his mother's last statement.

"My chakra wasn't the only one sealed inside. Your father's is inside you as well. He left a portion his chakra inside, as well as dealing with the yin chakra of the fox."

_**"A pointless endeavor,**_" the fox said inside Naruto's head. _**"My chakra will reform in time. There's no way to kill our kind short of Yin-Yang release or merging us into our original form. And that would be far worse for this world… **_"

"Then, if we use another puppet…" Naruto started before she shook her head.

"Unfortunately, there was only one. To make the puppet you used we'll need materials from Suna and Konoha, as well as contacting someone skilled at make puppets, human anatomy, and some other stuff. Plus, I'll need to study sealing jutsu a lot more before we can even try and summon Minato. The person who made this one was an even better seal master than most special-jounin, in a village that specialized in sealing."

Looking at her saddened son, she sighed and then told him, "We'll head out tomorrow to start gathering the materials and knowledge we need."

"I thought we were leaving after a year?" Naruto asked, before taking a bite out of the grilled fish.

"I originally planned to, but we need supplies and you need to interact with more people than just your mother. It might give you a complex. But to be honest, between our shadow clones, your training is advancing smoothly and we can train on the road."

"How are we gonna get there? I'm kinda a missing-nin, remember?"

"Since we shouldn't be seen entering from the port, we'll make a raft to get us near the mainland and then walk on the surface of the water to go the rest of the way. On the way back, hopefully we'll have enough money to buy a small boat. As for your appearance, using a transformation won't be good enough, but that's what seals are for. I'll have you make an appearance changing seal as a final exam."

"What specifications?" Naruto sighed.

"One that can change your hair color and your eye color will do for now. Although when we get to Konoha, we'll upgrade it to hide your whisker marks and your chakra signature, in case we run into any Hyuuga. While we're on the subject, what are the key factors on changing your face, eyes and hair?"

"Alter the melanin for the iris pigmentation… thing for the eyes, the two types of melanin in the hair follicles for hair, and the stratum corn… thingy for epidermis of the face. Set the seal to use chakra to release minute amounts geared towards the altercations without producing too much or too little, and making sure it is evenly distributed."

"Hm… close enough, but get the terminology right in case we run across some place to sell our spare seals. I want us to make enough money and connections so we can start planning towards rebuilding the village."

"… Mom?" Naruto said silently. "Will the two us alone really be able to completely rebuild everything?"

"No, Naruto," she shook her head, "we can't do it alone. Getting recognized as a village will be nearly impossible in such a short time, which is why we need to make connections in high places and among the common people. Our village was destroyed because it was attacked by multiple villages that feared our seals, and Konoha was fighting its own war."

"We'll need shinobi to defend our home, an economy to finance our growth, demolishing the rest of the rubble and rebuilding the village… Naruto, to be blunt we're going to have a long road ahead of us."

"Ahh, all of this making my head hurt," the boy cried.

"It's not too bad. It would be best if we started selling things we find, and our seals, in a village. Maybe Suna or Kiri would be best, and then there are a bunch of smaller villages. Then we hire someone to come out here and demolish the old ruins and build up a few places for living in, although we'll have to keep quiet about it. After that, maybe we could train a few shinobi who are missing-nin, but not wanted for anything like needless murder and let them come here… but then there's the risk of them betraying us… "

Kushina went on and on about her plan, and it was well thought out. But in the end, it would take too long going alone and they'd have to travel between the mainland and the island a lot of times…

But that was fine with Naruto. Traveling with someone you cared about beat the hell out of a village full of people that loathe you.

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><p><em>The Next Day<em>

Naruto and Kushina had left the remains of the village. After Kushina revealed her village had a method of temporarily halting some of the whirlpools protecting the island naturally, they both just started running across the ocean since it would take too long by raft.

Even with the chakra they had, it was impossible to accomplish in only a single sprint. So they pulled the raft out of a storage scroll when they got tired and slept on it for a few hours. When they woke up, they'd eat some of their rations before Naruto refilled his mother's chakra supply, and then they went right back to running.

They made land fall about a mile from the port soon enough.

Naruto had applied his appearance changing seal to give himself red hair and green eyes, and they both hid their Uzushio forehead protectors. They needed to mask themselves as civilian for now. Any bandit that was dumb enough to attack them was dumb enough to pay for it.

They rented a room at a hotel and rested until morning. Kushina went to the port bazaar, since it would be a great place to stock up on supplies and sell some of the things they didn't need in the long run. Naruto was just happy he could finally eat some ramen and took off toward the nearest stand. It wasn't as good as Ichiraku's, but it had been so long…

"Welcome…" a man with shady glasses that could rival an Aburame's said, as Kushina entered into a rundown building. He had things on display that weren't present in normal stores or stands. She was sure enough that this guy was dealing in black market goods.

"Hello," she said politely. "I won't waste your time, so I'll just ask. I'm looking to get rid of a few things and obtain a copy of the Unofficial Bingo Book."

He pulled out a slip of paper with a bunch of seals on it. "Touch this seal and don't use any chakra. If you lie or use chakra, this seal will kill you. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

He looked her up and down, watching her posture, foot position, breathing pattern, basically any sign she was ANBU from a village after his head. "Are you a kunoichi?"

"Yes," she answered honestly. "I am sealing expert who is not affiliated with any major hidden villages."

"Hm… your posture carries a little of Konoha, but not in the style of their major clans or recent graduates."

"I haven't been in Konoha in over a decade," she responded calmly. "You won't find me in the Bingo Book because they believe I'm dead."

The man continued on asking several questions to trip her into lying, but she didn't tell him anything that wasn't at least partly true. He finally relented after their deadly game of twenty questions. "… Show me what you want to pitch, but if you make any sudden movements… "

"Yeah, yeah. By the way, the seals in your shop need a lot of work. I might be willing to make new ones for you, if you're interested."

The man arched an eyebrow. "… Go on."

Twenty-minutes later, Kushina walked out of the shady store with her hands on the Unofficial Bingo Book, suited for bounty hunters who didn't mind going someplace else other than a village to get rid of their bounties… or assassination targets. To be honest, she just wanted to see if there were any missing-nin that she could convert to help them, low bounties wanted for just running away or a minor crime.

She really wasn't happy when she saw her son in the Bingo Book as a C-rank target. Consider how the council had some power behind them and he was a genin, she realized that Sarutobi had no choice if the council kept pressing him. At least it was a low rank and capture-only order.

She also got rid of some of the things she took from the shelter to barter with. She needed the cash, and she didn't want to sell to a normal merchant since there was a chance of having it traced back to the dead village. She couldn't draw attention just yet, and the one thing about the black market you can count on is the difficulty of tracing anything sold there.

The man in the shop, who only identified himself as Kurogane, was well informed when it came to his wares. He tried to test her again by offering her things that were low quality or would interest an ANBU, since he knew the last test wasn't fool-proof. After that secondary test was finished, they began their business transactions.

She bought a map that had the secret routes used by shinobi of various villages, including the big five, a book for medic-nin chakra control from Konoha, several scrolls on wind style and water style ninjutsu, and even a few on specialty ninjutsu done using yin and yang chakra. All of these were top-grade goods that should never leave certain clans or villages. Kushina would later add seals to make sure they weren't stolen from her or read by a third party without their permission.

Needless to say, Kurogane didn't say how he "acquired" these goods, and Kushina didn't ask, although she made a mental note to thank Jiraiya on teaching her some of the more subtle and darker aspects of the shinobi world. He was a master spy after all. It still wouldn't stop her from kicking his ass for not watching over Naruto though.

* * *

><p><em>Somewhere in the Land of Fire<em>

Jiraiya was talking with one of his contacts when a sudden feeling of dread washed over him.

"… Why do feel like I'm going to get my ass kicked in a few months?" he said while shaking uncontrollably.

* * *

><p><em>Back to Kushina<em>

Anyway, she gave him an upgraded version of his testing seal.

Unlike the previous version that sent a backlash if chakra was stored in it and had a basic diagnostic jutsu woven in to monitor the sign of stress from lying, her version included her seal that was used to test their affinities. It broke down chakra into elements and recorded signatures, so that if someone came in after using a transformation based on a client that left, or a genjutsu to control others, they wouldn't get by him due to the high traces on yin chakra found in those particular jutsus.

Then she updated his storage seals, and security seals. Kurogane was pleased with the work and offered her a fair amount for her goods and a few extra seals to sell. Before she was getting ready to leave, there was still a question he wanted to ask…

"… You're an Uzumaki aren't you? I've had a few customers over the years with the same hair color and sealing proficiency… although yours is impressive even by their standards at the time."

She turned to face him. "Yes, I am… I have been looking for members of my clan. Could we make another arrangement?"

He nodded. "Let me guess, contact you if I meet with any and set up a connection?"

She pulled out a scroll and gave it to him. "This is a scroll with seals embedded inside it. Anything written on here and then has chakra applied to it will appear in the scroll I'm carrying. It can also share items through a combination of a summoning and storage seals."

Kurogane took the scroll. "I hope you don't mind if I use this to contact you with more...business offers in the future. I move around a lot and I have a feeling that your products will be much… desired."

"I'll be looking forward to it," she chuckled. "Until the next time, Kurogane-san."

"Indeed… what should I refer to you as?"

She smirked at him. "How about Shiokitsu?"

"Very well. Until next time, Shiokitsu-san."

After her dirty dealings, Kushina stocked up living essentials, as well as some clothing material to take to a tailor for some clothing for Naruto and herself. He was still on a feeding frenzy at that poor ramen vendor's stand. The guy was crying at this point, trying to keep up with feeding him.

Later that night, they both took the chance to get accustomed to their new casual clothes, and more importantly, their combat clothing.

Naruto now had black combat sandals and pants, an orange t-shirt and a light-blue hooded jacket with a spiraling wave at the center. He also had a pair of blue-fingerless gloves for his hands. Kushina was wearing a short-sleeved mesh shirt under a light-blue kimono-like blouse with a white spiraling wave pattern at the bottom, held together with a black obi. She had a dark skirt with shorts underneath them, just in case she had to fight a pervert...or Jiraiya.

It looked great with their Uzushio forehead protectors.

They both then dropped onto their beds, after setting a few security seals in their room. Robbing travelers while they slept wasn't exactly uncommon, even in hotels. Their gear was stored in storage scrolls that were sealed by their own locking seals, but it wouldn't stop some people.

Either way, the pair would set out for Suna in the morning.

* * *

><p><em>Konoha<em>

The Third Hokage sighed as he looked over the reports.

He had sent several teams to retrieve Naruto, but after he ditched his clothes he basically fell off the map. He had the Inuzuka clan members try to track his scent, but after that last shadow clone barrage his scent was everywhere. There had been no sign of him since he vanished, which usually meant one thing when it was a genin and a child…

If another village discovered he was a container for the Kyuubi, they would basically draft him into service. If they figured out his heritage, then Iwa would call for his head on a pike. If it were bandits… well, he'd probably be fine.

Still, it worried the old man to no end that the boy vanished, although he could understand why. After that fiasco, word had gotten around about his "condition" and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't silence the current generation of genin from knowing the truth. Several of them reacted as expected… not the Hyuuga girl of course, but he wouldn't have been welcomed at the Academy anymore.

The damn civilian council literally threw a party once they knew he ran away. Danzo was pissed about losing a future asset, and the shinobi council knew that it was a blow to their forces, although the clan heads showed the boy some sympathy knowing who his parents were. Too bad they never acted on it.

Regardless, at this point they knew they needed to put him in the Bingo Book and settled for desertion at a C-rank, but a modest bounty to be paid if he was brought back alive.

Sarutobi also contacted Jiraiya, who got right to work in searching for the boy, knowing Akatsuki would jump at the chance. He also received a tip about Orochimaru planning something during the Chuunin Exams that were three months away. He asked Jiraiya to find Tsunade as well if he could.

He just prayed that the boy was alright.

* * *

><p><em>Notes:<em>

Shiokitsu = (Tide Fox)

Kuro(me)gane = (Black Shades)

Alright, now that we got that out of the way, let me start by saying that Naruto will be traveling with his mother to gain the necessary allies to rebuild their clan's village. Most of the Konoha 12 will not gain major roles in the story… for now. Instead I'm throwing in some filler characters, other tailed-beast hosts, and OCs.

Pairings haven't been determined yet, but there will be no incest at all. Naruto x Hinata might have some ground given how it started, but for the first part of the planned story their interactions are limited and Naruto is still technically a missing-nin.

Neither Naruto nor Kushina will be unstoppable machines of destruction, or at least I don't plan for them to be, but Naruto's first solution will not be to spam clones until the enemy stop moving nor will it be Rasengan all the time.


	3. Chapter 2: The Old Puppeteer

**Chapter 2: The Old Puppeteer**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Revised as of 14/15**

**Beta: Bluemew22**

* * *

><p><em>With the Uzumaki<em>

"Moooom…" Naruto whined.

"We're tired…" another Naruto said.

"… We've been at this all week…" the third Naruto said.

"Again," Kushina told them.

The Narutos all sighed in defeat and sat down on the ground, closing their eyes and concentrating. Kushina had begun teaching them how to use her _Chakra Chain_ jutsu. It required no hand seals, but it required so much concentration that even with two hundred clones working on learning how to generate the proper amount of yang chakra for the jutsu, it still wasn't solid enough. He needed to focus on mixing a large amount of his physical energy into a small amount of spiritual energy, without it completely overtaking it.

Once ten minutes passed, they placed their hands on one of Kushina's affinity testing seals, which she managed to make along the way. She had over five hundred of her multi-purposed, newly christened "Affinity Breakdown Seals" ready for the market, and she finally managed to create chakra chains away from her body.

Once again, you've gotta love shadow clones.

The top ten that got the closest to the proper yang chakra composition were then dispelled and the process was repeated, until the original was the only one left. He'd then try on his own, rest for some time, and then repeat the process. This way, he crammed at least a few months' worth of training in a day.

There were about twenty more clones doing various chakra exercises, including some from the medic-nin book she got. Since medics needed absolute and precise chakra control, those exercises were the best for him to gain better chakra control. In addition, yang chakra was used in healing as well, similar to how yin was used in genjutsu. It had a slightly higher concentration of physical to spiritual, but nowhere near as much used in her chains.

Still, she had about five shadow clones working alongside them since she would probably need to learn medical techniques in case of an emergency. Just because Naruto could heal himself faster now didn't mean he could heal anyone else.

There were a few more clones working on their katas, but there were less than three hundred clones total in use. Rather than just letting Naruto make nearly a thousand of them, Kushina didn't want to have Naruto running low on chakra too soon, since converting regular chakra to any element was draining, and because they were still close to enemy territory.

They'd been doing the same thing over and over for the last week as they slowly made their way towards Suna, avoiding the shinobi paths on her map. At this point they were past the Land of Fire and into the Land of Rivers, which was situated right between the Land of Fire and Land of Wind.

Since she didn't want to risk being discovered by rotten luck, Kushina had applied the seal to herself, turning her eyes a light shade of purple and her hair black, wrapped into a single ponytail. She also altered Naruto's new one to have black hair and purple eyes as well, so they matched… the first one he made didn't agree with the fox's chakra, as she learned when she slightly altered the seal on his stomach to give Naruto a better sense of hearing and smell.

They also had to use different names when in the presence of others, for obvious reasons… neither one of them wanted to put too much effort into it though, so they just settled on "Shina" and "Naru" to get it out of the way.

_I wonder if I could get someone in Suna to personally supervise him in using his wind chakra_, Kushina thought to herself. Suna's shinobi population wasn't all that high, but they had the greatest number of wind users.

The main problem for this portion of their journey was going to find someone to teach them about puppetry. Only shinobi native to the village could learn it, and according to the Unofficial Bingo Book, the only other major puppet master outside the village was Sasori of the Red Sands. If they entered into the village as shinobi without any real reason, they'd be subjected to interrogation.

"Hm?" Kushina eyes narrowed, as memories from one of her clones that were patrolling the area just returned to her. "Naruto, wrap it up. We have guests."

* * *

><p><em>A short distance away<em>

A well-toned, middle-aged man, dressed in a simple white T-shirt and black pants, with a jacket around his waist, was moving through the forests as fast as he could. He was currently running from three missing-nins from Ame, two males and one female, that were clearly playing with him.

One of the men had only a single eye exposed, the other hidden from sight by his hair, and he had a mask over his mouth and a bandana. The other was muscular, with chin-length gray hair, arm warmers to go with a sleeveless shirt, and a teal mark across his face. The last was a young woman with short light-brown hair, wearing pink tube top that was barely covered up by a light green shirt.

The older man was out of breath when he reached the edge of a river. "Honestly, kids these days acting worse than bandits."

"Well, you could've just given us your gear old man…" the girl said. "Oh well."

"Chakra Chain: Emergence," a voice echoed through the forest. A dozen small explosions occurred at the same time around the helpless man, as ghostly, translucent chains erupted from the ground beneath him.

"Chakra Chain: Barrier," the same mysterious voice said. The twelve chains arched and formed a dome around the man, and the gaps between the chains were filled by a shimmering force.

"The gentleman has a point," the mysterious voice came from the river this time. Kushina slowly rose from the river using the Hiding in the Water jutsu she learned from one of the scrolls in Uzushio, with her arms crossed and dressed in her combat outfit, with a matching backpack on spaghetti strings. "You three could stand to do better than that."

A rain of shuriken poured down at the missing-nins, who jumped back at the last second, leaving a good sized spot with shuriken popping up like weeds. Landing in a crouch next to his mother was Naruto, dressed in his combat clothes as well.

"So, time to go from practice to practical application." Naruto grinned. He only had his mother to spar with up until now and wanted to try what he learned against an enemy.

"Naru, remember these three will actually be trying to kill us. Don't take them lightly."

"Yes ma'am!" he said, before flicking his hands and causing shuriken to appear between his fingers. He threw them at the masked one who dodged with ease. "Come at me bro!"

That little—" Kirisame muttered before going after him.

"I feel bad for that kid," the kunoichi muttered to Kushina. "That guy is a sadist. Your kid is gonna be in pieces."

"My child can take care of himself…" _I hope_, she thought secretly. Naruto had yet to face a situation where he'd need to kill or be killed. She wasn't sure he was mentally prepared for dealing with his first kill, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that in this battle. "Let's get started."

* * *

><p><em>With Naruto &amp; Kirisame<em>

Naruto placed the palm of his hand in front of his mouth and inhaled. Releasing trace amounts of wind chakra from his body and merging it with the surroundings, the air he inhaled became concentrated and flowed towards his mouth before stopping at the palm and spinning in place. Once he exhaled the spiraling sphere flew towards the Ame-nin who jumped up and avoided the attack, leaving it to crash into tree that was behind him and leaving a moderate sized crater in the wood.

Naruto inhaled and exhaled rapidly, repeatedly firing the jutsu over and over, only to have the enemy avoid it with ease. _It's not bad offensive-wise for a low-ranked jutsu, but the time between shots is too long and the strength is dependent on the amount inhaled… _

Naruto flicked his wrist and sent chakra into the seal on the palm of his right glove. A Kunai popped out and he held it in a reverse grip before charging the man.

"Let's see what you got kid!" The Ame-nin formed the Rat-Dog-Ox seals and water gathered in his hands. "Water Style: Water Whip!"

He lashed out at the boy, before taking a wide swing that Naruto ducked under. He twisted his hand brought it down, causing the whip to twist and catch the boy's leg. "Get over here!"

He pulled the whip in and pulled out a kunai, plunging it deep into the boy's waist. Naruto gasped in pain… before popping in a plume of smoke. "What the hell?"

"It's called a shadow clone," the young boy's voice came from behind him.

Kirisame exposed eye went wide and he pivoted on his rear leg, swinging the whip horizontally. Naruto ducked under it and edged left, swinging his reverse-gripped kunai at an inside arc to graze Kirisame's shoulder, before placing his foot behind the taller shinobi's and kicking it from under him.

Kirisame flipped backwards and landed… only to find himself flying. A concussive force of condensed chakra ruptured the moment it hit him. He went head first into the tree and stopped moving.

"My taijutsu isn't going to be very effective damage-wise until I grow a bit more, but at least the Wind Style: Air Bullet worked." Naruto smirked and made three shadow clones to haul his unconscious prize back to the others.

* * *

><p><em>With Kushina, Hisame, and Murasame<em>

Unlike Naruto, Kushina was an experienced kunoichi who fought in a war. Seeing that her enemies were getting ready to start making hand seals, she brushed her fingers against the storage seals on the blouse's sleeves and threw the kunai that appeared in a spread fashion. The goal wasn't to hit, but to make them move or deflect it.

Kunai were okay for close combat, you could slit the enemy's throat, slip the blade between their ribs, and all that fun stuff, but the further away the enemy, the lower the effectiveness without using chakra. Both of them dodged, as expected, and Kushina rushed towards Hisame.

"Old hag!" she roared, finishing the seals and creating a water whip.

Kushina dodged the first swing with a slide and aimed to angle the kunai into the girl's heart from below the breast, only to miss when she twisted. Kushina threw the kunai at Murasame to force him to redirect his water whip long enough for her to grab Hisame by her loose shirt and toss her out of it and directly into Murasame.

Enraged, both of them sent their water whips straight towards her, like poles. They were also standing close enough to be caught up in her next shot.

"Water Style: Spiraling Water Ball!" she said, as she leapt back, following the same pattern as her son, but taking from the condensation in the air and mixing with water chakra. She took a deep breath, aimed towards the pair at a slightly downward angle, and fired the ball of spiral water.

It cut through the whips easily since they were stretched far enough and knocked the duo off their feet on impact. Kushina created four chakra chains from the palm of her hand and shot them out like snakes, making them coil around the pair. She then slammed them into a tree, pulled them in with a single tug, and clothes-lined them both.

They didn't get back up.

Kushina breathed a sigh of relief once Naruto returned and looked unharmed. "Place him with the others," she said, before she released the man in her barrier and pulled out the Unofficial Bingo Book from sealing scroll in her backpack.

"They aren't here, meaning they were new missing-nin…" she mumbled, closing the book and turning to Naruto. "Have any problems?"

"Nah, the guy was cannon fodder at best," he shrugged.

"Don't take any battle lightly. Things have a bad habit of going from bad to worse really quickly…" she paused before looking at the man. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," the man said as he stood up and picked up his bag from the ground. "Thanks for the save."

"We were just in the neighborhood and heard the commotion," Naruto told him, not bothering to look up as he started looting the unconscious Ame-nins' supplies. "Ooh, they've got cool blank masks and a scroll to do that whip thing… and another one that follows up with lightning!"

Kushina sighed and shook her head. "It was no problem… I'm sorry; I don't believe we've done introductions yet."

"My name is Gen," he said, extending his hand for Kushina to shake. "I'm a blacksmith from Takumi."

Kushina grabbed his hand and shook it politely, noting how hard and callus they were. It was evidence that he worked long and hard towards his profession.

"My name is Shina," she pointed to Naruto, "and this is my son, Naru. I've heard of your village before. It specializes in making customized weapons for shinobi."

The man sighed. "It used to, but now so many villages have gained some skill in it. We've lost a lot of business, so we visit nearby villages and set up shops. What about you? I don't think I've seen that barrier jutsu before and you aren't wearing a forehead protector… "

Kushina smiled. "We're basically mercenary-nin, without a village… hang on for a second, please."

They both stopped to look at Naruto chuckling, as he had finished stripping the missing-nin of their supplies and wallets. She rolled her eyes and made the Tiger-Ram-Snake-Tiger seals and cried, "Water Style: Froth Prison!"

A stream of light-pink water came from her mouth and collided with the ground around the three. The moment it made contact with the organic matter it began a chemical reaction that formed a good amount of solid foam which strengthened based on the amount of chakra present. "They'll be like that for a day or so."

"Mercenaries… would you two be interested in serving as my bodyguards for my trip to Suna?" he asked. "I can't pay you a lot right now, but I can make you just about any weapon you could want, for both of you!"

_Well, that was convenient. Never again will I doubt my son's dumb luck_, Kushina thought. "We'd be glad to—I wanted to try my hand at selling some of my own things there anyway, and I heard they had an open bazaar."

He chuckled. "It is pretty big, but you can never get any space unless you get there early or reserve a spot. I don't mind sharing my stand. What will we be selling?"

"Seals," Kushina tapped her shoulder and released a bit of chakra, causing a shuriken to appear. "These are my special combat storage seals. I made them to hold various items in separate compartments, and respond to the amount of chakra I release when I touch them."

"Yeah," Naruto showed him the palm of his gloves. "All I have to do is pulse chakra into mine and BAM! I have something to fight with. Although the frequency and burst of the chakra pulse determines what comes out… "

Gen whistled and smiled. "I tried to be a shinobi when I was younger, but I dropped out before I became a genin and moved to Takumi. So I can use chakra, but only for using small storage seals and testing the weapons I make that don't require elemental chakra."

"Interesting… tell me, have ever considered using a chakra storage seal that…" Kushina and Gen went on about endless possibilities of seals and weapons combined…

* * *

><p><em>Somewhere in Konoha<em>

A girl with buns in her hair was working with her father on blacksmithing, when she stopped mid-swing and looked up with sparkles in her eyes…

"Something wonderful is going to happen, and it involves me and weaponry… "

Her father just sighed and shrugged.

* * *

><p><em>Several Days Later<em>

It took far longer to get to Suna with Gen in tow, since he couldn't keep up with the pair at full speed. Before they entered the village's range, Naruto and Kushina had changed to their civilian clothes and asked Gen to keep quiet that they were fully-capable shinobi since they wanted to keep things on the low for now. Suna and Konoha are allies, and if they drew attention here…

Gen had no problem with it, and it wasn't too hard to get into the village as civilians. Seal salesmen were expected to have some chakra to make or demonstrate their goods, and they didn't belong to any village. They kept all their combat clothes and private things in a seal that Kushina kept hidden inside another seal, in case they tried to check for it.

Once Naruto and Kushina got a room, they went sightseeing around the village. The marketing areas were the most active, but the buildings were the same color of brown and looked like they were made of clay. There was that really round building in the center of the town, but other than that…

Their BBQ places were great to eat at and had a surprisingly wide arrangement of foods that were imported. There were a few kids around Naruto's age, but they were training in Suna's style and, while Naruto left Konoha and trained with his mother, he didn't want to take any chances. He just went around with his mother as she checked out various stories and bought things that she could probably use to make a fortune later on.

Later that night, Naruto was snoring in his bed. Watching him sleep peacefully from behind a desk with a small lamp on it was Kushina. She'd always hoped that she would get the chance to watch him grow

He looked so much like Minato. She missed him so much, it wasn't fair. It felt like she took away his second chance from seeing their son.

But she knew if they kept going, they would get a chance to bring him back. So, to keep their boy safe until then, she needed to get stronger. That was the reason she had three scrolls in front of her.

The first one was Sealing Arts of Yin, written by the Uzumaki Clan. It went into detail about the use of yin chakra and spiritual energy, how it brings illusions and phantasms out and give them shape. The sealing formulas it had inside involved forcefully disturbing the balance of yin and yang chakra.

The second one was Yin Style: Phantasmal Markings, which she got from Kurogane. It uses yin chakra to mark a target's spiritual energy with symbols or letters that exist but don't have physical form and couldn't interact with the physical world.

Yin chakra was an absolute nightmare for her to use, as her chakra was geared towards yang chakra. That was why she never went into genjutsu. While Naruto had abysmal control from having the fox to blame, she had her own chakra quality to blame.

She would need at least a year of practice without shadow clones to mold the necessary yin chakra for phantasmal marking, but with the help of these two arts, she could create a truly demonic technique.

One that she hoped she never had to use.

* * *

><p><em>Two weeks later<em>

If one were to ask how Kushina's sales were going, they would probably have to wait in line. For about an hour. On a good day.

Her seals were a hit!

Affinity Breakdown Seals, Combat Storage Seals, Security Seals, Privacy Seals—not the new ones she made, but their older versions—they were selling. If she got low on some, she'd have a few shadow clones in hiding make more.

To make matters even better, Kurogane contacted her through their scrolls and had requested more of the seals she made him. When she mentioned the new ones she made, he just said to send them over after he gave her the profits from her last ones.

Now, Kushina wasn't a greedy person by nature and she didn't change in the slightest. She put everything else that wasn't needed for the next two weeks and Naruto's allowance away. It had to go towards building their village back up again.

If she franchised it… hehehe…

But, extremely profitable dreams aside, she was technically housing a missing-nin and that wouldn't change until he got support from another village as large as Konoha, but since he was housing the fox, that wouldn't stop a war from breaking out. It had to be more than a single village…

It was only thanks to their appearance changing seals—she didn't market those for obvious reasons—that they could live in temporary peace. But Naruto was at least talking to others his age that didn't hate him because of their parents. The main downside was that the fox's chakra would destroy the seal if he used any of it besides the healing portion.

Gen was making an equally great amount of profit with his custom weapons. Between his and Kushina's techniques, the weapons gained some popularity for being able to absorb chakra flow easier and strengthen themselves to prevent chipping and breaking. Most of the blacksmiths couldn't match those, and Gen and Kushina could sell the templates for a commission.

The two had big plans for even more potent weapons and seals combinations, using elemental seals and such, but Kushina wanted to hold off until they tested them on her and Naruto's custom weapons, as well a few prototypes. She only bought the sealing scrolls that were geared towards using regular chakra, water chakra, and wind chakra from Uzushio. When Kushina eventually left Suna for Konoha, she would definitely give him a scroll like the one she gave Kurogane.

Having a guy like him in Uzushio would do well for economic growth.

Naruto's sealing lessons were the only ones they could practice while inside the village. He was moving onto making tracking seals and chakra releasing seal. Tracking was done in two parts or more depending on the seal. Typically one was applied to the target and sent a chakra signal to another seal that had a receiver.

The chakra releasing seals did just that: release chakra. It was a storage seal that handled chakra and as a result could hold jutsu as well if the seal was properly done. Naruto couldn't make one to hold jutsu on his own, but he could make one to just release pure chakra. If a second layer of sealing formula was applied then you could shape the chakra, otherwise it just burst out, and a third layer added the pressure of force behind the released chakra. Too little pressure was the same as having a light breeze push it out, but too much could change the shape added by the second layer and rupture it.

Kushina demonstrated by taking a decorative kunai she made with Gen. It was shaped more like a normal one, except it was flattened out more and the sides of the blade above the hand were curved into points. The top side of the kunai had one set of seals that activated when she used chakra and fired a blast in the shape of the kunai's blade. The bottom side seal released a small outward pulse.

Naruto would most likely learn how to do the third layer in half a year and a half without shadow clones. He had the second layer down, but he needed to study some physics and matters related to forces applied to surfaces. Then it was a matter of trial and error.

The next thing on Kushina's list was to find a puppet maker.

It was through some rumors and basic information gathering that she came to learn of the "Honorable Grandmother" Chiyo, who was the best puppet master in Suna and also the best puppet maker. She also found out what her favorite restaurant was and started to take Naruto there to eat a few times. On their fifth visit in two weeks, she spotted her.

"Excuse me," Kushina said as she walked up to the elderly woman. "Are you Chiyo-sama?"

"Ah, the girl who sells those popular seals…" the elder said, turning in her seat. "What do you want with an old woman like me?"

"I've heard that you were the best puppet maker in Suna," Kushina bowed. "Can you teach me how to make a certain type of puppet? I am certain that only someone with you experience could do such a thing."

Kushina kept her head down for what seemed like hours, waiting for a response, until Naruto tapped her on the arm. "I think she just died… "

"Huh?" Kushina looked up to see he eyes half open and her face lowered and relaxed. Her breathe was nonexistent. "Quick, someone get a medic! I'll see if I can—"

She was cut off by Chiyo suddenly jumping out of the chair and both she and Naruto jumped back. They both almost went into a combat stand out of shock. Instead they resisted the urge and stood there shaking.

"Hehehe… Just kidding! I'm not dead." Chiyo chuckled. Given how most people knew her… eccentric habits, they also chuckled. What they didn't know was that Kushina didn't like being laughed at.

The pony tail Kushina had tied as part of her disguised appearance began to crackle with eldritch energy and unravel, branching into nine tendrils. Some people would say that the room chilled suddenly, others would say they could see her literally burning with anger. Naruto had his hands full holding her back.

"C-calm d-down m-m-mom…" Naruto stuttered. "You can't go around doing that to anyone that angers you… "

The old woman just continued to chuckle. "You amuse me," she turned around. "Unfortunately, I'm no longer an active puppet master or maker, nor do I take students…."

She walked away from Kushina and out the door. "You're simply out of luck dear."

"Tough break lady," some random guy said. "Chiyo-baa-sama doesn't really do anything these days for anyone."

"What'll we do?" Naruto asked quietly. "We can't just give up."

Kushina closed her eyes and smiled, she wouldn't give up that easily. "Of course not, Nar—" she was cut off by the sound of explosives coming from down the street, followed by screams. The clacking of wood came was the only thing that stood out.

"Naru, stay inside here!" she said, before running outside to see about five Suna ANBU fighting shinobi with Suna forehead protectors and their puppets. Chiyo's body was lying on the ground, unmoving. When one of the civilians was running past her, Kushina grabbed the woman's wrists and asked what happened.

"Some members of the Puppet Brigade attacked Chiyo-baa-sama, after telling her to hand over some scrolls! She refused and suddenly there was a puppet attacking from under the ground! She stopped it with her strings but the arm shot off and stole her scrolls! After that more guys and puppets came and the fighting started to escalate—!"

"WHERE'S MY CHILD!" another woman screamed.

Kushina was starting to get worried, and tried to think of a way to help. She could pass herself off as a mercenary shinobi, but it would cause them to doubt her since she was supposed to be a civilian. Plus, the air was so dry that the amount of condensation to use an effective spiraling water ball would take too long, and jumping into the fight all of a sudden could get her targeted by ANBU by mistake.

"BOOM!" a loud crash came from an alley, and Kushina recognized her son's chakra by heart despite not being a sensor-nin, since it was currently flowing through her body. She took off to go get her son and missed the Chiyo laying on the ground becoming a pile of sand and scattering in the wind.

* * *

><p><em>With Naruto<em>

Naruto wanted to see what was going on, despite his mother's warning, so he watched from the back entrance of the restaurant they were in. It was then that he saw a man with a little girl in his arms, running around a corner. His ears twitched once his enhanced hearing heard the little girl sobbing silently for someone to help her, before being knocked out and another voice said something about the old lady's scrolls.

The guy had grabbed a little girl during the commotion to use as a hostage, after his partner's puppets grabbed the scrolls. Chiyo had some impressive techniques, and for her not to teach them how to make or use those ten special puppets of hers was as good as treason to them. He and his partners knew they couldn't return and that they'd become missing-nin, but they figured they could aid Suna from the shadows instead, and if taking a hostage was necessary, then so be it.

Suna placed the importance of missions above all else, and the ones caught up in the fighting knew that they had to by some time for him to get away. If they died, then they knew they did what was for the best. The mission came before their lives, and this was their mission.

Naruto chased after the man. He was afraid that if he went to get help, the man could escape or use the child as a hostage...plus he felt confident that he could take the man down after he handled the missing-nin from Ame with moderate ease. But brute force was out of the question, it had to be a sneak attack.

He made three shadow clones and transformed two into rocks and the last into a wooden stick, running behind the man and into the alley. "Wait right there, you bastard!"

The shinobi looked back at Naruto, who threw both the rocks past his head. The man sighed, pocketing the two stolen scrolls and pulling out a storage one with a new puppet. The puppet clacked and its chest popped open to reveal dozens of poison dipped spikes before charging at him.

Naruto threw the wooden stick over the puppet, flying straight towards the shinobi. The man shook his head. The child thought he could stop him with a few rocks and a stick.

_Too bad kid, if you just ignored me th—_his thoughts were cut off in an instant, as the wooden stick the thought he dodged became a clone… and smashed his face in with his knee. He thought it was simple stick that he could avoid and didn't even consider using a substitution. Before he could get his puppet in finish the boy off, a voice came from behind him, and a spike in chakra.

"WIND STYLE: AIR BULLET!" a second clone called out before firing condensed chakra bullet at the puppet. The real Naruto jumped into the air and braced himself, right before the attack landed.

The alley way was hit hard and dust flew into the air once the condensed chakra ruptured and exploded out with enough concussive force to slam Naruto into a pile of rubble that was once a dead end wall. The clone used a good potion its chakra for the attack since Naruto wasn't sure how durable the puppet was, and it had dissipated once it was hit by the backlash. The puppet was just splinters and scrap steel.

The child and Chiyo's scrolls had been spared by the attack thanks to Naruto's planning. In that instant the man looked up at him, the second rock became the third clone and grabbed the child, while his first clone grabbed the scrolls and both ran past the second clone and out the alley, not seeing the figure standing on the rooftops watching.

Naruto chuckled in delight for pulling off such a well-executed plan enough to fool the man.

"You little brat!" the shinobi screamed, jumping out of the dust cloud with a tanto in his hands. He had every intention of ending Naruto's life. The boy had to move… he couldn't.

Naruto looked down to register what happened to his body as time slowed down. The shrapnel from the debris had embedded itself into his stomach and legs, cutting open his shirt, and pierced deeply enough cause moderate bleeding, but it hadn't cut into a major blood vessel. The healing chakra from the fox could heal it in less than five minutes… he didn't have five seconds.

_Don't freeze up_, he tried to tell himself, as the tanto began its descent.

_Move or you'll die_, he couldn't concentrate like this. He couldn't use substitution like this!

_Mov—_Splat.

The sound of flesh being pierced rang in the boy's ears, and the smell of iron from blood and steel colliding overpowered his nose. Blood fell over his forehead and slowly oozed its way down into the open space of his gaping mouth. He laid there shivering…

As the man's empty eyes met his own.

"That was a close one," an old voice reached his ears.

Naruto was in shock, so he didn't notice the chakra strings attached to dead man's hands. With a quick tug from the puppet master, the man who manipulated a puppet seconds ago, became a puppet that slid the tanto between his ribcage and into his heart.

The one pulling the strings was none other than Chiyo herself.

The world began to tunnel and the sight of those empty eyes would forever be engraved on the boy mind. The last thing Naruto heard before he passed out was his mother's voice.

* * *

><p><em>Minutes Later<em>

"Do you have any privacy seals, dear?" Chiyo asked Kushina.

Kushina nodded and pulled out a complicated, customized sealing array, far beyond what she normally sold. It had a formula for disturbing sound waves by distorting the air it traveled through, while releasing alternating frequencies of chakra to disrupt the use of any sight-based technique like the Byakugan. If any outside chakra came into contact with the seal's chakra, it would alter them immediately.

It took Kushina over a month of studying and trial and error at Uzushio to learn how to make the seal properly, setting aside several shadow clones to speed up the process.

Chiyo planted the seal on the wall and pulsed chakra into it. "That's better. You truly are gifted child… this seal is a step above my own."

Kushina didn't pay the compliment any mind. She just had to get her baby clean and take care of him and… and…

"You can lay him down on the couch—the blood was my fault anyway," the old lady said nonchalantly. "I'll fetch the basin, some washcloths, towels…" she trailed off.

Kushina laid Naruto on the couch, and took off his torn and bloodstained shirt. The shrapnel was ejected the moment the healing kicked in, and there were no visible marks anymore, so it was probably just the shock of it all that made him faint.

Right…?

"I told the guards that I would heal the boy and give a full statement about what happened before I dismissed them," the old woman said, as she bought the material using her chakra strings. "When they wouldn't leave, I showed them how versatile my strings were and reminded them I still had some power over the council. Your son will not be bothered for the remainder of your stay."

"You have my gratitude, Chiyo-sama." Kushina said, as she bowed politely.

"You can drop the honorifics dear. I'm too old to care," she chuckled, before calming down and speaking in a more sincere voice. "Was it his first time… seeing someone die like that?"

Kushina nodded and ran her fingers through his hair as tenderly as she could. "He'll be fine… all of us go through it at some point in our careers. But… for it to happen to my little boy… "

"Indeed… it was probably better that he go through it now than on the battlefield… same for you. Our careers tend to lead to short life spans," she said, not adding _… with a few exceptions of course._

Kushina dipped the rag in the water basin and twisted it, slowly wiping the blood away from her child with tears in her eyes.

"I admired his courage, but if I was a second slower, your child would not have survived. Why did your son go so far to save a child he didn't know? He is not one of us."

Kushina shook her head and kept wiping away at her son. She had finally cleaned his beautiful sleeping face. "We may be strangers, but Naruto couldn't just stand by and let that happen."

In Chiyo's hands were the scrolls that Naruto retrieved from the thief. As she watched from the rooftop, she saw his mother quickly grab the child and the scrolls before the two clones dispelled themselves before they drew any attention. Kushina tossed the scrolls to her and grabbed her son, getting ready to flee before she told them she would handle the fallout. She told ANBU that the child chased the man foolishly and was about to be attacked by a puppet when she interfered.

She figured they were probably missing-nin who wanted to settle down without worrying about anyone trying to hunt them. Truthfully, she would've been content with losing the scrolls since they no longer held importance to her at this point in her life, but in the wrong hands…"These scrolls contain years of my studies and notes, as well as my greatest ten puppets. You would have probably benefited more from them than trying to learn only basics from me."

"We wouldn't go that far," Kushina said softly. "Neither one of us would forgive ourselves if we stole something important from someone who didn't wrong us."

"… Tell me about the boy there," Chiyo pointed towards the sleeping Naruto. "I saw the seal on his stomach when he was healing himself, and I know that much chakra isn't normally possible for one so young… I've seen his kind before."

"Will I have your word that this will stay between us?" Kushina asked. Chiyo nodded her head. "My son was made a Jinchuuriki when he was born, as a last resort. We hoped that he would be seen as a hero, we didn't want to think the worse possible solution… That he'd be persecuted because of it and suffer because of it."

"I take it that both of you are using some form of disguises and alias right now?" Kushina nodded her head. "Good, the less I know the better. Tell me why you sought me out."

Kushina finished wiping her boy clean and put on the spare shirt Chiyo bought, before she showed the scroll detailing the puppet she needed made. To be blunt, it was very similar to making puppet out of humans in some aspects. But while human puppets were just shells that could borrow the skills they had in life, this actually used someone's chakra to shape the doll and store their consciousness inside of it.

You could theoretically raise the dead with it. The materials weren't just easily available, but it was still possible to gather them with enough finances. The biggest problem was that the sealing arrays needed for it were so finesse and delicate, if you made one mistake in placing the seals, it would be ruined for good. There was only one village that had such proficiency…

"It is things like this that got your village targeted in the first place," Chiyo chuckled, but there was no malice or ill-intent in her words. "There are many people who would commit the greatest of sins to get their hands on this, including the foolish Kazekage. Lucky for you, I'm not one of them."

She handed the scroll back to Kushina. "Only show it to those you can trust, and never those with ambition or suffering from the pain of losing someone they cared about. Otherwise you'll run the risk of repeating history."

Kushina only nodded silently, rubbing her sweet son's face.

"I will get you the materials that I can, but it may take years to do it subtly enough to not draw attention. Despite not officially taking on students anymore, I know of both a private place where you can train and a young girl who would be helpful towards teaching the boy how to use his wind chakra, and I'll teach you the basics of puppetry myself," she paused as Kushina looked up in shock, "on one condition, of course."

"If it is within my ability, I'll do so." Kushina replied.

Chiyo put a sad smile on her face. "I have long since withdrawn from my village's affairs after I was forced to do something I regret to this day." She flicked her wrists and chakra strings flew out and attached themselves to the dirty washcloths, basin, Naruto's old shirt, and the towels.

"That man should never have been made Kazekage," she shook her head in disappointment. "Instead of allowing the raccoon dog to remain sealed away in the kettle, he did the one thing no parent should have done to such a small child for only creating a weapon… "

Chiyo looked at Naruto with sad eyes, as if recalling a past memory. It was then Kushina realized what happened. "He used his newborn child?"

"It wasn't surprising really… most of the tailed-beasts are sealed inside those who they feel would be most loyal to the village. If they are lucky, they only face discrimination from the shadows. But that man… he actively encouraged people to fear the boy, even going so far as to have the only person who outright loved the boy drive him to the very edge."

Chiyo shed a single tear. "He was completely broken after that..."

Kushina was absolutely livid. She couldn't be there for Naruto when he was suffering, to hold him tightly and tell him everything would be alright. She would regret that for the rest of her second life.

"Having proficiency in sealing is a necessary skill in making puppets from scratch," Chiyo sighed. "I was the best at making puppets. But what that foolish man failed to realize was that people weren't puppets… they were much more fragile."

Chiyo just stood there in silence; her eyes were as still as empty pools of sorrow. Kages have to make decisions for the good of the village. But if that were the case, she could probably understand.

"I lost my faith in the village after seeing what I had done," Chiyo finally continued. "Since then, that man has made one foolish decision after another, from antagonizing the Daimyo to meeting with that man from Oto."

Chiyo flicked her wrist and strings flew out. She had a scroll in her hands in the next second. "These are the details of the seal I used on the boy," she muttered, as she handed the scroll to Kushina.

"Though my pride would never call for me to rely on another person, I know I am at my limit. My only request is that you help me fix the seal on the child, so he no longer suffers and can sleep again at night."

Kushina looked over the details of the seal and then looked back at the woman. "How long do we have?"

Chiyo smiled. "Two months, at the last portion of the Chuunin Exams."

Kushina looked at her son's peaceful sleeping face, as if he could tell the blood had been wiped clean. Even though he would probably have nightmare about that scene, or when he takes his first life in battle, every child should be able to sleep in peace.

"It'll be my pleasure."

* * *

><p><em>Canon Jutsu:<em>

Wind Style: Spiraling Wind Ball – Gathers wind chakra laced air and spins it, before shooting it. The power varies on how long the user inhales.

Wind Style: Air Bullet – Condenses wind chakra and fires it in ball shaped bursts, the explosive force is determined by the amount of chakra condensed.

_Non-canon Jutsu: _

Water Style: Spiraling Water Ball – Gathers water chakra laced condensation from the air and spins it, before shooting it. The power varies on how long the user inhales.

Water Style: Froth Prison – Sprays water onto the ground and begins a chemical reaction that creates foam, it solidifies based on the amount of chakra used.

Chakra Chain: Emergence – Allows Kushina to generate chakra chains away from her body.

_Notes:_

And so, it begins…

I tried to get across what a parent would go through had their child gone through the ringer. The world of Naruto is awesome and all…but technically, they are child soldiers at that age, and Kushina only met her son for a few minutes…twelve years and four months ago.


	4. Hinata: The Fallen Princess

**Hinata: The Fallen Princess**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Revised as of 12/15**

**Beta: Bluemew22**

* * *

><p>After I was attacked and Naruto-kun left, Iruka-sensei applied first aid and took me to the hospital. It had been a full day since then, and my father had not even visited me once. In his stead, Hokage-sama himself came and told me about Naruto-kun being something called a "Jinchuuriki" and how he was housing the chakra demon that attacked the village long ago.<p>

He said he explained it to everyone who was there and told them not to let it ruined their opinions about him, and then he thanked me for protecting Naruto-kun and personally escorted me home when I was discharged from the hospital.

My father would not speak to me nor see me, only having someone relate a message that I was to report to my assigned team the next day.

* * *

><p><em>The Next Day - Training Ground 18<em>

"Okay then," a masked jounin named Kakashi-sensei said, while reading an orange covered book. "Since the teams are here and we've all introduced each other. We'll take a few minutes before we begin your warm ups for this joint-exercise."

Three teams had gathered, including the one I was on. Under Kakashi-sensei were Sasuke-san, Sakura-san, and a rather pale boy named Sai-san. Asuma-sensei had Ino-san, Chouji-san, and Shikamaru-san. Kurenai-sensei was teaching Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, and I.

We began routine exercise and tactical maneuvers to come and understand our allies' capabilities. Unfortunately, due to clashing personalities, Kurenai-sensei had to restrain Kiba-kun from attempting to maim Sai-san, while Asuma-sensei and Kakashi-sensei had to try to pull Sakura-san and Ino-san off each other's hair. Sasuke-san just muttered something inappropriate about his teammates, when Kakashi-sensei shook his head.

"It's a shame Naruto-kun couldn't have been on the team," he sighed. "He would've at least made things more balanced. Not that you aren't alright, Sai-kun, I just wasn't expecting you...and your odd nicknames… "

The pale boy only smiled.

"I don't see why," Sakura-san said. "Like he could do anything other than play pranks and other stupid stuff. I don't see how he even became a genin since he didn't pass the final exam."

I felt a bit angry. Considering how Naruto-kun fawned over her all the time to the point I was a bit jealous, and now she was insulting him. I had to say something. "T-they w-wouldn't have g-given N-naruto-kun his f-f-forehead protector if he w-wasn't ready, Sakura-san… "

"That's right," Kakashi-sensei nodded. "I even have a feeling that he and Sasuke-kun could have been rivals… as long as it didn't go too far… "

"Please," she rolled her eyes, finally free of Ino-san. "He got the lowest scores in the history of the Academy and they probably had to give him some kind of remedial class, while Sasuke-kun is the genin of the year."

Despite my facial expression not changing, I actually was starting to harbor intent to harm her. Still, I had to keep calm, so I took a deep breath. "N-naruto-kun tried v-v-very hard and w-wasn't nearly as i-i-ignorant as you think."

"Uh, Sakura-chan…" Kakashi-sensei started in a slightly worried tone, a few drops of sweat on his forehead.

"No offense, but you're the only one who thinks that, and everyone knows that it was because you had a crush on the de—" the pink-haired harlot never finished her sentence.

Instead she was on the ground, clutching her stomach from where my Gentle Fist strike had disrupted her chakra flow. Everyone looked at me with their eyes wide and in disbelief.

"Naruto-kun was always nice to you no matter how much you kept abusing him! If you tried that on anyone else they would've fought back! You have no idea the kind of things he went through while you were too busy taking care of your stupid hair and fawning over Sasuke-san, and you have the nerve to call him _that_!"

I didn't stutter that time. My anger overtook my confidence issues.

Kurenai-sensei appeared behind me and held me out of fear that I was going to hit her again with another strike. I can honestly say the thought crossed my mind, and I was struggling to get another shot in. "_Hinata, calm down…" _she whispered in my ear.

"Ugh…" the shrew moaned. "How are you any better? You said you know what the idiot went through, then why didn't you do something before then?"

"Okay," Kakashi-sensei closed his book. "Hinata-chan, I'm assuming you didn't do anything permanent to my student, right?" I nodded my head. "Then I'll leave your punishment to Kurenai, as for you _Sakura_, well...I can't say she's wrong."

Now they were looking at him.

"If you must know, the only reason you passed the test was because I tied Sasuke-kun up for arrogantly trying to attack without a plan and you would jump through fire for him. Sai-kun was the only one who used his head and thought things through, but he followed my instructions too thoroughly and left himself very little breathing room. I intended to train all of you to address your shortcomings, but…" he trailed off.

Kurenai-sensei spoke up now. "While I will have to inform her family of this, we shouldn't have to say that the Hokage told all of you that the child was not the chakra demon, but the one imprisoning it. Considering you were about to say demon instead of Jinchuuriki, I'm assuming you heard from some of the more… _outspoken_ village members. Despite the time all of you genin spent with the boy in the Academy, and the most he did was a few pranks, you should know better."

"I couldn't have put it as elegantly that," Kakashi-sensei nodded. "I should remind you all that my sensei lost his life to save this village by making Naruto a Jinchuuriki. His final wish was that Naruto could grow up without being feared because of it, so the Hokage made the law that those who revealed it to your generation were punished with death."

Asuma-sensei said his piece as well. "Instead, they made the boy's life a living hell considering the information the Hokage and Inoichi-san retrieved from the ones who attacked him. Apparently they were repeat offenders since before he entered the Academy, and sick enough to the point where after he endured everything and went on with his life, they decided to actually kill him in broad daylight since he became a shinobi. The fact that we've uncovered that a great portion of the village's adults were torturing and abusing a child is bad enough."

Kakashi-sensei looked down at Sakura-san. "But for someone who would've been his ally and age to treat him like that because of what their parents, and other adults, told them is even worse. To call the boy a demon is the same as insulting my own sensei. Once you are fit enough to train, you will be doing three times as much as everyone for the next month. As for the rest of you, this is your only warning, understood?"

I shivered, as I felt what could only be described as killing intent radiating from Kakashi-sensei. All of the genin, including myself nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p><em>That Night - Inside The Hyuuga Council Room<em>

"Hinata Hyuuga," my father said in an authoritative tone. "Do you know why we've convened this meeting?"

"B-because of m-my actions t-t-today, at the joint training e-exercise?"

"According to Kurenai-san, you lashed out after being told of certain set of words," he followed up. "Despite you not having enough self-control to not attack the girl, I see you had enough restraint to do no permanent harm."

"Because she merely told you that the demon had taken hold, you attacked her," a man roughly my father's age pointed out. "We've heard about what happened, the demon became aggressive and attacked."

"Naruto-kun did it to save me!" I snapped at the man, my heart skipping a beat. It was safe to say he didn't expect it since he nearly fell back out of his chair. "He even told Iruka-sensei to take care of me before he left!"

My father looked at me sternly. "Then it is because of you that the boy's identity was exposed. Taking out your aggression on others because of your short comings is beneath you as a Hyuuga."

I felt my lips trembling, so I bit them before shaking my head and looking back at my father. "I-I will not d-deny that it was b-b-because of me that h-he was exposed, which is why I t-t-took steps to _ensure_ that his name was not slandered by t-t-that… that pink-haired fangirl."

"The men who attacked were all chuunin, even if intoxicated," my father glared at me with expectant eyes. "Why did you even interfere instead of allowing for the ANBU to arrive?"

"N-n-naruto-kun would h-h-have died. O-out of all the teachers at the Academy, only Iruka-sensei w-w-was actually t-trying to protect him. N-no one else w-was willing t-to even t-t-try."

"The demon had long since possessed the boy," one of the elder women spat. "He ceased to be human the moment it took hold of him. _It_ is but a demon that should've been hunted down like the fox _it_ is!"

"He is not the demon," I said, glaring at the woman. "As Hokage-sama said when he personally visited me, he's the one who prevented it from escaping until now. I've seen what he's gone through every day and if Naruto-kun was the demon you claimed him to be, the number of casualties in this village would have sky-rocketed, and he would have been justified in doing so!"

"Still your tongue child," the woman bit back. "Heiress or not, you are a member of the Hyuuga clan and expected to behave as such. Your foolish, one-sided _affections_ for the demon aside. If necessary, we shall place the seal on you and remove you from the main family."

The next few sentences left my mouth before I could think things through. "Then do it! Everyone is always saying I'm not suited and that I'm a failure not worthy of the title of heiress anyway, but don't you dare call him a demon!"

Everyone's mouth dropped once the words came out of my mouth. Including my father's.

"Y-you—" the woman was choking on her words in anger, instinctively activating her Byakugan.

"Enough!" my father said sternly. He stood and nodded to two members of the branch family acting as guards. "Escort her to her room."

As they led me out, I heard the council explode before the doors shut.

* * *

><p><em>Morning<em>

In the early morning, I awoke to a light knock on my door and my father came into the room with a stoic face that showed no emotion, but seemingly had bags under his eyes. "Hinata, you have said things that have angered many people and you have left me no choice… "

He motioned for two of the branch family women to come into my room. "Hinata Hyuuga, you are officially exiled from the Hyuuga Clan. These two will help you pack your things and will provide you with storage scrolls to place your personal belongings in."

Father left after that, never once looking back.

In shock, I could barely function. The two women, whose names were Miyako-san and Marumi-san, watched over me when I was younger. They helped me pack my things with somber looks on their faces and escorted me beyond the compound walls.

I don't remember much after that, except that I was walking through the village without anything in mind…

"Hey, brat—" when a purple-haired woman, wearing a full-mesh body suit, orange mini-skirt, and tan overcoat called from behind me, her face was peeking over the side of the numerous grocery bags in her hands that went up to her head, two of which were about to fall over. "—a little help here!"

"S-sure," I said, grabbing some of the bags. They were heavier than I expected and I almost fell over. "U-um, w-w-what is this e-exactly… um… "

"The name's Anko, kid. I'm a 21 year old special jounin, and what you're holding is a week's supply of beer until I can go to my usual bar again. Honestly, you stick a kunai in a guy's hand for grabbing your ass and they…" she trailed off.

With nothing else to do and nowhere to go, I followed Anko-san without putting much thought into it. The bags were so heavy though, I had to stop occasionally to readjust them. Anko-san rolled her eyes.

"Relax, we're at my apartment now," she told me. We walked up a flight of stairs and entered a modest-sized room. "Place the bags on the table."

I complied, carefully maneuvering around the cans of alcohol and articles of clothing that littered the floor, before placing the bags on the table and sighed. Anko-san crept up behind me and placed something cold on my cheek, causing me to shriek.

"Heheh… calm down girl, it's a gift," she handed me one of the alcoholic beverages. "You're a genin, right? You can drink once you reach that rank, our lives to simply too short for anyone to complain about it."

"T-t-thank y-you…" I told her and bowed. She sat at the table and leaned back in her chair, stretching, before popping open one of the cans.

"So you're Hiashi's oldest girl? I heard you tore you clan's council a new one last night," she chuckled. "They did something rash in retaliation, right?"

"H-h-how d-did y-y-you k-know?" I stuttered more than usual.

"One of the council members got drunk and loose-lipped, being a lightweight and all, at the bar that I got kicked out of last night. He then muttered something about your father leaving the compound alone, probably to fume… then he got handsy, I got stabby, and here we are."

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry!"

"Don't be, you were defending that boy who went missing, right?" I looked at her in shock. "It isn't the most well-kept secret that you stalked the boy. I've gotta give you props for defending your man."

"H-he's n-n-not m-m-my…" I couldn't finish saying it. "D-despite how I f-f-feel about h-him, it's j-j-just one-sided… b-b-but how they t-t-treated him..." I trailed off.

"I know where you're both coming from. There was someone I admired to the point of basically being a fangirl, and I'm not exactly the most well-liked person in the village. I suffered a bit of went he went through… until I introduced many of them to the sharp end of a kunai and my babies' fangs. They got the message eventually."

"B-but N-naruto-kun would n-never do t-t-that," I said. She just chuckled and proceeded to drink her entire can in a few seconds.

"That's why they got away with it…" she sighed."The details are still coming in, but members of the interrogation unit have been running ragged lately hauling in people who did something to the kid. We interrogate one person, they gave up two, we interrogate those two, and they gave up six more. It just built up to the point where it was clear the boy was hated by so damn many people we couldn't arrest them all, so most got off with fines and a few who beat on the boy were sent to Ibiki and me for a good, long session… in the end, only a handful were punished like they should've been."

"… Is there still no sign of him?" I asked without stuttering this time.

"No. All shinobi who were actively searching for him were rounded up the day after he snapped and said they lost his trail. There were too many scents and even though they were informed he could use shadow clones, they didn't know he could make that many...although I suspect a couple of pricks enjoyed stabbing the pseudo-copies of the boy."

She closed her eyes. "Honestly, he probably won't be coming back here. There's a small chance he might, but if he does it won't be under good conditions given what we've learned he's went through. Either he'll be dragged back screaming and tagged by ANBU, a corpse, or go on a killing-spree."

"If only…" tears began falling from my eyes."If I had done something… "

"Everyone turned a blind-eye or were stretched too thin to help like the old man and Iruka."

"But I couldn't do anything in the past and now he's gone…" I held my hands over my eyes and cried. "I was too weak and scared to help him… "

"The past is the past. We all make mistakes. The only thing you can do is learn from them and go forward. But for your own sake you need to address one of your biggest problems."

"W-w-what is t-t-that?" I asked.

"You're obsessed with him," she pointed to me. "You're placing the boy on a pedestal and dancing around it. Not once did I hear the words that you wanted to be stronger. Instead, it was all about being too weak to help him. How can you help someone else if you can't help yourself?"

I honestly wanted to say something, but I couldn't deny her words. "Listen, you're mad and feeling guilty about what happened to the kid. It's alright to be concerned about things, but if you go too far and keep obsessing about him, you'll be no better than a fangirl who would slit her own throat the moment he died because you didn't train enough to defend him."

There was a knock on the door and Anko-san walked over to answer it. Someone in a mask handed her a message and vanished with a regular body flicker jutsu. She quickly skimmed the letter.

"Ah," she crushed the can in her hand and sighed before burning the letter. "I just received a summons to the Hokage's office. I hope it's not about last night… You can stay here as long as you like. I don't have company over often."

And with that she was gone.

Despite Anko-san's generous offer, I left a few minutes later. There was some place I wanted to go, in order to think about what to do. Eventually I came to a certain training ground.

It was the training ground that Naruto came to in order to practice in secret before he became a genin. He worked so hard here to be accepted, hoping to become the Hokage. While I just watched him from the shadows, never saying or doing anything…

"_How are you any better? You said you know what the idiot went through, then why didn't you do something before then?_"

Sakura-san had a point. I really wasn't any better than she was then. She worships the ground Sasuke-san walked on, and I was doing the same for Naruto-kun. If the roles were reversed, we would have swapped places.

I was just as shallow as she was. I was always told by the elders not to interact with Naruto-kun. I was too shy to say anything to him or speak up about the attacks, and in the end…

"_Then it is because of you that the boy's identity was exposed. Taking out your aggression on others because of your short comings is beneath you as a Hyuuga._"

Father had a point as well. Hyuuga or not, I shouldn't have attacked her. But whenever someone calls him a demon, I just snap. They just say those things without knowing what he's been through...

"_You're obsessed with him. You're placing the boy on a pedestal and dancing around it. Not once did I hear the words that you wanted to be stronger. Instead, it was all about being too weak to help him. How can you help someone else if you can't help yourself?_"

… I… didn't even try to get stronger. I was only focusing on being weaker… All those hours I watched him train, I could've been working alongside him… and because of that, he accessed the Kyuubi's power when I got hurt…

I stayed there and cried for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p><em>That Night<em>

I heard a twig snap and promptly activated my bloodline… it was all that saved me from getting a kunai in the back of my head.

"Come out!" I yelled, pulling out a kunai, and two masked shinobi appeared. Focusing my sight on penetrating their masks, it revealed two faces that I had known all my life. My kunai fell from my slacked grip, and my eyes went wide. Burning streams of tears rolled off my cheeks, as I fell to my knees.

"Miyako-san… Marumi-san… why?" I asked.

Neither one responded with words. Instead, they both let a single tear fall from their eyes before Marumi-san took out another kunai and threw it at me. It felt like time had slowed down.

"Don't just sit there!" a familiar voice cried, as another kunai intercepted the one in front of me and sent them both tumbling to the ground. Landing in crouch, the special jounin wearing a tan overcoat was in front of me. "Freeze up and you'll die!"

The two women I knew since childhood split up and started throwing kunai and shuriken at me. Still in shock, I couldn't move. So Anko-san grabbed me, and tossed me behind a tree, before pulling out eight kunai, a finger in each ring on the pommel and threw them in spread pattern to intercept the incoming ones.

They both then rushed in towards her.

"Gentle Fist isn't very effective in mid-ranged combat, is it?" she smirked, making the snake, ram, boar, horse, monkey, and tiger hand seals, before cupping one of her hands near her mouth. "Fire Style: Great Fireball!"

A scorching ball of flames, as tall as she was and three times as wide, flew towards Marumi-san, forcing her stop her charge and dodge once the flames spread out in an explosion on impact with the ground. Miyako-san, however, closed the distance between them.

"You are in range of my divination," Miyako-san muttered, while in the position for the 8 trigrams 32 palms. Anko-san smiled, having finished the snake and tiger hand seals.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!" six snakes slipped out of her coat sleeves, and intertwined around Miyako-san before she screamed in pain. They had bitten her multiple times, and must've been poisonous since she fell to the ground twitching and whimpering.

Marumi-san then slipped around her while she was distracted and went towards me with a kunai in hand. As she was within range, a shadow burst out the grass, revealing a thirteen-foot snake that coiled around her arm and then her torso, before revealing its fangs and plunging them into her.

She shared the same fate as Miyako-san.

Anko-san was strong. In less than two minutes, she took down two Hyuuga members, and didn't even look like she was tired. She looked over and waved to me.

"Honestly, I was looking for you for the last few hours," she said, before addressing the two women on the ground. "Hey, you two. Why did you try and off the brat here?"

"We're sorry, Hinata-sama…" the Marumi-san cried. "W-we never wanted to do this, but the seal and… the councilwoman…" she trailed off and went silent. Miyako-san had long since gone still.  
>"Marumi-san!" I cried, unable to do anything for her.<p>

"Relax, the poison won't kill them for another dozen or so minutes," Anko-san told me. "They'll be fine after I slip them the antidote and drop them off at the hospital, but they attacked you while under the Hokage's protection… ordered or not they have a date with Inoichi and Ibiki tonight."

"Protection? But—" I started to try and defend my assailants, but Anko-san shook her head and crouched next to the women, injecting them with the anti-venom, before summoning a larger snake and placing them on it. She then tossed me a key.

"Go to my place and get some rest," she said, before slithering off toward the hospital.

I picked up the key and cried. "Marumi-san… Miyako-san… "

* * *

><p><em>The Next Day<em>

When I woke up, I was in Anko-san's bed, having fallen asleep waiting for her to return. The sound of running water on wet skin caught my ears, only to be followed up by the turning of the knob and sliding of the shower curtains. Then out stepped my savior from last night.

"Morning sunshine," Anko-san said with a smile, while wearing only a towel around her waist after stepping out of the shower. I felt a wave of heat gather in my cheeks and I turned my head from her bared chest.

She chuckled, "Oh come on, it's not like you don't have the same thing growing there… you might get even bigger than me in a couple of years..."

"A-anko-san… w-what h-h-happened with t-t-them?" I asked.

She sighed and sat down next to me. "Well, to start with, they did attack you and under mandate they had to be taken care of. After Inoichi confirmed they weren't lying, the old man sent ANBU to bring the main family member who ordered the hit to Ibiki for interrogation and I went with them."

Anko-san then smiled quite savagely. "First, I watched as your father's eyes twitch with anger I hadn't seen in someone so stoic in ages. My guess is that he had to restrain himself to save face, being a Hyuuga and their leader, y'know… then the bitch resisted and I showed everyone why you don't screw with me."

She swung her legs up and down. "As for those two women that attacked you, they were sent to a detention center."

My heart dropped when I heard they'd still get punished. Anko-san then leapt on top of me and I squeaked. Her pure white skin was laid bare to me, the only marring being the marking on her neck. She stared me in the eyes, intensifying the heat in my face.

"Cheer up," she whispered. "The story is that they were placed in maximum security awaiting execution, but place is a political prison for people in high places. Their chakra will be sealed, but it's more of a stay in a fancy hotel room that they can't leave out of. It was done so that people get the message about touching you.

"Their immediate family will have full visitation rights, as well as anyone they list. The Hokage's laws must be followed, but he knows how things work and how the branch family is treated, so he did it to protect them. He'll _pardon_ them for their crimes against you in about two years at _your prolonged _request. So long as everyone involved keeps their mouth shut, we all win and there was only one body."

Without thinking, I buried my head into her chest and hugged her. "Thank you, Anko-san!"

"W-whoah, easy there!" she stuttered. "If you want to thank someone, thank both the old man with the big hat and your old man."

Anko-san freed herself and went over to her jacket to pull out two letters, one from my father and one from Hokage-sama. She handed me them and I decided to open the one from Hokage-sama first:

_Hinata Hyuuga,_

_When your father informed me of your actions yesterday with the council I was shocked. I had thought that you were so reserved, but to be so supportive and protective of Naruto literally bought me to tears. The fact that you know how much he suffered and felt genuine affection for him filled this old heart with warmth and I immediately signed the emancipation and protection contracts, freeing you from any retribution from your clan._

_However, just as they circumvented the laws around Naruto, many will do the same to you. Keep your head held high and move forward, and you shall continue to have my support. I will not fail you like I did to protect Naruto._

_Your father entrusted me with a fairly large amount of texts on your clan's techniques and deposited a healthy sum of money into your account for you to live on. I've heard about your living situation and will arrange something as soon as possible, but in the meantime Anko has offered her home to you… _

_Just try not to let her corrupt you too much. We can't have two of her running around._

_I am working on finding the boy and when I do find any trace of him, I shall let you know._

_Burn this letter after reading it,_

_Hiruzen Sarutobi._

Unable to believe what Hokage-sama wrote, I opened the one from my father:

_Hinata,  
>While it pains me that you must suffer, you know how our family operates. I'll admit that I have not been an adequate father and that, along with our family practices, have driven you away. I was only concerned with training the heiress to lead the family on, and for that I shunned you for your sister.<em>

_That was why I made arrangements with the Hokage the night of your outburst, to protect you from enemies like the councilwoman, but there are those that will bend and try to break that law, just like the ones who exposed Naruto's identity and attacked him. So become strong enough to survive anything._

_I'll admit, even though I knew the boy's true identity, I let my opinion become stained by others and cannot take back what I've said and done._

_You are free of the clan's name now and no longer bound by our limits and traditions. I have sent Hokage-sama instructions for all of our clan techniques should you choose to learn them, but go and do whatever makes you happy._

_We will not contact each other again unless absolutely necessary. Do not seek out anymore support from the Hyuuga. Burn this letter after reading it, but know this:_

_You were, and always will be, my little sunshine,_

_Your father._

I read them over and over, until I burned them into my memory. And then I handed them to Anko-san and watched her incinerate them, before I broke down crying for the final time.

Anko-san simply held me.

* * *

><p><em>Three Months Later<em>

"Alright, Hinata-san! Your flames of youth are burning brightly," the young man in the um… interesting, green jumpsuit told me, as I ran behind him at a somewhat slower pace around the training ground.

"Lee-kun," I huffed out, my chest burning while I pushed onwards. "Are you sure it's okay for you to be running around after you got hurt on your mission?"

"Gai-sensei told me that as long as I do not do more than a hundred laps around the training ground, he would not be mad," he turned his head and smirked. "You have improved greatly."

Lee-kun wasn't moving nearly as fast as he could, even with his weights on. That is to say, he's faster than anyone else that's a genin. Less than three months ago, after Anko-sensei took me in and finished training with me until I was covered in cuts from her kunai for the first time, she said "Your stamina sucks to hell and back," and licked my blood off it.

After applying my medicinal cream to the wounds, she recommended that I joined Lee-kun and Gai-sensei. Gai-sensei was quite sympathetic once he heard why I was exiled from my clan, and even offered me one of his um… tasteful jumpsuits. I couldn't turn it down since he was so… youthful… and took it with me to Anko-sensei's place…

She said she would refuse to feed such a thing to even Manda if she could and burned it.

Anko-sensei was like a big sister who tormented me, but had the best intentions at heart. She complimented me when I did something right and pointed out my mistakes and how to correct them. Her apartment wasn't really big enough for most of my things, so they stayed in the storage scrolls and I slept with her on the bed, although she turned a lot and said scary things in her sleep.

I hadn't had contact with anyone in the Hyuuga clan since then. Kurenai-sensei offered to go and talk to them, but I told her it was fine. She did turn a bit pale when I said I was staying with Anko-sensei. I didn't know that the two of them shared an occasional drink, until Anko-sensei dragged me with her one night. Since I wouldn't drink, she made me "the person who drags her back home when plastered."

It was apparently a real position at the bar she frequented.

While intoxicated, she said many things that I don't think I should have heard or known about. She also mentioned something about conquests and going for Iruka-sensei, but at that point Kurenai-sensei was covering my ears. Then I had to drag her home after she passed out.

"Lee!" another… youthful voice called from above, only for Gai-sensei to drop from the sky like a rock. "It is wonderful that you are sharing your flames of youth with Hinata, but alas we must convene early to discuss certain things with my eternal rival. He has been boastful since his student gained his bloodline ability when they drove off that missing-nin from Kiri… although they mentioned something about the tycoon who they thought hired him being frozen and shattered… "

"Yes, Gai-sensei! I will…" Lee-kun began one of their discussions on tasks and punishments as I drifted off.

It had been three months since Naruto-kun had left and the Chuunin Exams were coming up in a few more months. Kurenai-sensei said that she wanted us to give it a try to test us and that she'd be proud no matter what. Anko-sensei, on the other hand, threatened me to make it to the finals and make her look good under the threat of spending two weeks in the Forest of Death… again.

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

I closed my eyes at that point, not willing to see _that_ scene again… I still wasn't sure how they created that genjutsu. Despite their odd habits they were very nice and skilled people. Under training with Anko-sensei, along with my time with my team, and the morning work outs with Lee-kun and Gai-sensei, I was starting to feel better.

My hair had grown about an inch longer, but it was slightly messy. I had changed my coat to a black colored version, and switched to orange undershirts with a chainmail shirt above it. I wore black pants, with both a kunai and shuriken holster on each leg, a pouch around my waist, and black combat sandals as well. My forehead protector was still around my neck, but with an orange colored band instead of black.

People around the village had begun calling me the "Fallen Princess" of the Hyuuga clan after word of my exile got out. It was somewhat annoying, and some people thought to make fun of me because of it. I followed Anko-sensei's advice about kunai and near-head shots.

It stopped soon enough.

Anko-sensei also took steps to help with my stuttering.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

_"Okay, for every time I hear you stuttering, I will throw a kunai at you! It doesn't matter when—the village, the room, the bed if you keep calling for him in your sleep—you will get a kunai flying towards you!"_

_Flashback End_

* * *

><p>She wasn't lying.<p>

I'm pretty sure that my skill in avoiding projectiles was high-chuunin at this point. Anko-sensei and Tenten-san, one of Lee-kun's teammates, tended to throw a lot of them and rarely missed… she even mentioned begging Hokage-sama to teach her the Shadow Clone jutsu so she could increase the number thrown at once during my training.

Thankfully, he refused… for the moment. I had a feeling she was wearing him down.

Anko-sensei had said that Hyuuga rely on close-combat more than anything, with only one or two mid-ranged techniques. As a result, we would be disadvantaged when fighting enemies who've had previous experience with our techniques or relied on long to mid-ranged combat. So she started with teaching me tactics to deal with opponents like that and, since I was no longer was bound by the Hyuuga laws, how to use elemental manipulation and mold fire chakra.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

_"Okay, my little mini-Anko in training, name the five basic elements."_

_"Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Lightning," I answered._

_"Perfect," she smirked. "Now, explain what chakra flow is?"_

_"The use of chakra streaming through an object," I answered._

_"Correct. Lightning chakra can pierce through most objects if focused through chakra flow, but it can also paralyze and mess with things that use electrical energy. Wind chakra is basically use for wind techniques, but using chakra flow it can increase cutting power. Earth chakra can be used to strengthen or alter solid things through chakra flow and other basic earth techniques. My personal favorite is fire chakra though."_

_Anko-sensei made a few seals and breathed out a stream of flames. "Fire burns, and if living things gets burned beyond a certain point, they die. Fire chakra is closer to a poison, in that its nature is to consume whatever it touches."_

_"What about water chakra?" I asked._

_Anko-sensei shook her head. "Water chakra can be used to create or manipulate water, but by changing things on a chemical level, it can create oil or other liquids. But what makes water chakra a pain is that it can dissolve or wash away at other types of chakra. There's a reason why hunter-nin from Kiri aren't to be taken lightly, it's because they've mastered techniques designed to do just that."_

_"Are you going to teach me how to use fire chakra someday if I have an affinity?" I asked._

_"Someday?" she chuckled. "Affinity or not, you __**will**__ be able to use at least one fire jutsu perfectly for attacking and learn a second one for tactical uses… in three months. Under penalty of a rain of kunai from me… and that girl who likes shiny weapons even more than me… there will be no mercy."_

_I shivered at the thought._

_Flashback End_

* * *

><p>Focusing the little fire chakra I could generate at the moment, I released a burst from the tips of my fingers into a practice log. The chakra invaded the log and it slowly began turning black, radiating from the point of the strike, as the fire chakra ate away at the log at the microscopic level. It took five minutes total, but the log collapsed onto itself, leaving only a pile of charcoaled wood.<p>

_It works against things without chakra easy enough, but against a shinobi it won't do much damage before it gets pushed away until I can generate more… _

I've also mastered the tree climbing and water walking exercises. She had me practice a lot in the Forest of Death, where making a slip up would be painful, on those two alone until I passed out, to increase my chakra reserves and control. She also combined it with trying to hit me with every sharp object she could get her hands on and the occasional non-venomous snake.

By the time the Chuunin Exams come around, I should have a good chance to become a chuunin despite it being my first time. Anko-sensei's threats aside, I wanted to become stronger so I never had to say I was too weak again…

* * *

><p><em>Chuunin – Exams, Outside the Forest of Death<em>

The time for the second portion of the Chuunin exams was about to begin. I looked over to Anko-sensei, who was giving one of her speeches that terrified the general populace. When Kiba-kun said this portion would be easy, she nicked him with a kunai and licked his blood, promptly terrifying him and Akamaru-kun.

And then that genin from Kusa handed the kunai back to her with an extremely long tongue that reminded me of a snake…

While Kurenai-sensei told my team I was staying with Anko-sensei, I've kept most of my progress a secret from even her. I wanted to surprise them, or at least save them for the finals. No longer was I the weak heiress of the Hyuuga clan who was surpassed by her sister.

Instead, I was an apprentice of the woman known as the Snake Mistress of Konoha.

Anko-sensei walked up to me and smiled. "You'd better get there faster than anyone else considering how much you've trained here. I was a chuunin at 12 and I expect great things from my apprentice. Make me look good okay, brat?"

I smiled and nodded.

* * *

><p><em>Inside the Forest of Death – Near the Tower<em>

After half a day of waiting to get the proper scroll, Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, and I could finally see the clearing to the tower roughly thirty meters away. It was unfortunate for that other team their leader made some perverted comments and gestures at me. His tenketsu will be closed from my 8 Trigrams 32 Palms for quite some time.

"Heh, I knew this would be easy!" Kiba-kun gloated.

"Only because Hinata-san seems to have an excellent grasp of the terrain," Shino-kun corrected him and looked over to me. "I take it you've been here with your new… roommate?"

I chuckled nervously.

"Man, that lady was scary and she smelled like snakes…" Kiba-kun shivered. "But she was hot! I tell you, if I could room with her I'd—" his puberty-inspired comment was cut off when I threw a kunai in his direction…

Not to hit him of course, but to knock the one that came flying from the clearing ahead off target. I had thought it might have been Anko-sensei, but once we broke through the tree line, we saw Gai-sensei's team.

My cousin, Neji-nii-san, was standing in front of Tenten-san and Lee-kun. "It has been some time, Hinata-_sama_," he emphasized the last part.

"Neji-nii-san," I stepped forward and activated my bloodline. "You… have both your scrolls already… so why did you throw that kunai?"

A smile that held anything but kindness etched itself across my cousin's face. "There's nothing wrong with attacking opponents as long as we're in the forest."

"You bastard!" Kiba-kun growled. I placed my arm in front of him to stop him from doing something rash.

"You've been waiting here for us to pass for some time now, haven't you?" Shino-kun said, shifting his shades.

"I must admit, this is most un-youthful," Lee-kun added.

"We have to enter the tower as a team," Tenten-san said. "But I'm not attacking them for no reason."

Neji-nii-san activated his Byakugan, showing that he had every intention of fighting regardless of who stood in his way. I stepped in front of Kiba-kun and tossed my scrolls carefully to Shino-kun.

"Give your scrolls to your teammate," I told my cousin. "Since you are going to fight no matter what, we'll keep it between us. No one else interferes."

Shino-kun and Neji-nii-san both raised an eyebrow at me, while the other three were gasping, followed by each—in different tones and manners of speaking—said that it wasn't my smartest idea.

"You've seemed to have gained some confidence now that you don't have to live up to the clan standards. It seems I must remind you that Fate has already determined which of us will prevail," he slipped into a Gentle Fist stance.

Without turning around, I called out to everyone else. "All of you stay behind me at a good distance." They looked at me oddly, but complied and stayed in the tree branches behind me. I then focused on my opponent.

"Neji-nii-san…" I paused. "No, Neji-san. I am no longer a member of the Hyuuga main branch, neither am I a failure. If you truly wish to face me, then do it with pride as a person and not Fate's Bitch!"

My use of inappropriate language caught everyone off guard. Anko-sensei told me it was a tactic that was great for getting the drop on people who knew my normal nature. Next, I followed up by imitating her tactic of pulling out eight kunai, a finger in each ring on the pommel and threw them at my cousin.

He weaved through them and closed in on me. I leapt back, blazing through the rat, tiger, dog, ox, rabbit, and tiger seals, before I took a deep breath and tilted my head back. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower!"

I cupped my hand near my mouth and breathed out eight small fireballs. He stopped his advance after a few smashed into the ground along the path to my cousin, but he didn't put much effort in dodging the last two. He only looked at me with amused eyes.

"Using such a fire jutsu?" he smirked. "You truly aren't fit to be a Hyuuga… and your aiming needs work," he added, noting that I had set a few patches of grass, at points at various distances between us on fire.

I feigned a look of anger on my face and pulled a kunai out of my pouch, throwing it at him. He tilted his head to avoid it as it passed, only then noticing a wire wrapped around the ring at the pommel due to a glint from the sun. I tugged the finger the wire was wrapped around and it jerked back, nicking him on the neck.

"… Is that all?" he smirked again. "You get taken in by a special jounin and the best you could do after getting thrown out of the main branch was miss with a fire jutsu and nick me with a wired-kunai. Failure."

Kiba-kun yelled something inappropriate at my cousin, but I simply started to make hand signs. "First, Neji-san, the Phoenix Flower jutsu can be moved using chakra control, which I am not incompetent in," I said, finishing the snake, ram, and monkey hand signs, before stopping on the tiger seal.

"Second, Anko-sensei taught me how to deal with _arrogant boys_," I breathed in and exhaled a wave of flammable gas. "_**Fire Style: Mist Blaze Dance!**_"

His arrogance dissipated once the realization hit him and the gas met the flames, igniting a scorching wave that would swallow him. I took precautions to ensure he would survive, of course. With his speed, he could easily dive into the moat around the tower, and the flames would be short-lived since I used a different type of gas than what Anko-sensei used.

Instead of running, his eyes squinted in determination.

"8 Trigrams Rotation!" he said, as he spun around and released chakra from all his tenketsu. I knew he was gifted, but this was simply extraordinary since he must've reproduced it from sight alone. The rotating shield of chakra interwove with the flames and created a blazing, spiraling sphere that almost entranced me at the center of the wave… which also hit the tower behind him.

… Maybe we should have moved the fight further back. Oops.

Once the flames died down, my cousin stopped spinning and took a step forward… and his knees buckled under him and he hit the dirt. A smile graced my lips. "It's over."

"H-how?" he squeezed out. I tugged on the kunai that I nicked him with one more time and caught it to show him. It had a thin layer of purple coating. "Poison?"

"Anko-sensei is a special jounin in the interrogation and torture department. Of course she would teach me how to use poisons. You sped up the poison in your system when you performed Rotation."

He struggled to get up. "Using poisons now too? You're a failure to both the main house and the Hyuuga name. You can't beat me! It is Fate!"

I couldn't help but sigh and walked up to him, crouching to meet him at eye-level. "Neji-san… you are truly gifted. To have learned Rotation on your own, you must've sweated blood and tears. I'll acknowledge that as a Hyuuga, you are my superior."

I held the poisoned kunai at his throat. "But right now you are the one who is lying in the dirt. Fate may have stated that Neji Hyuuga of the Branch Family would defeat Hinata Hyuuga of the Main Family… but the woman before you is Hinata the Fallen Princess, proud apprentice of Anko Mitarashi, special jounin and the Snake Mistress of Konoha!"

I stabbed the kunai into the ground next to him. "If you want to be Neji-_nii_-san then get that through your head. But if you want to be Fate's Bitch, keep your head on the ground!"

He didn't mutter a single word after that. Our teams walked up slowly, staring at me like a stranger. I walked up to Tenten-san and gave her a vial of antidote. "Give him this and he'll be back on his feet in three hours. It was just a paralysis poison."

I nodded towards the tower and Shino-kun and Kiba-kun followed me there.

"Damn," Kiba-kun said. "When did you learn all that? That was pretty cool..."

"I concur," Shino-kun muttered. "It seems you've improved a great deal in both ninjutsu and tactics… although your language seems somewhat out of character."

I smiled and they flinched. Anko-sensei must have been rubbing off on me more than I thought. I was almost tempted to lick Neji-nii-san's blood off the kunai.

Now, how do I explain the damage to the tower to those ANBU coming out…

* * *

><p><em>Last day at the tower in forest of death<em>

The fifth day passed.

Although I thought I might have been in trouble for scorching the tower, they seemed to simply shrug it off after I said Anko-sensei taught the tactic to me. "She's done worse when drunk…" one of the ANBU trailed off.

We were quite surprised when we opened the scrolls and Kurenai-sensei was summoned. She was stunned at how fast we arrived, although the Suna team got here even faster. I expected Anko-sensei to be slightly upset about that, but ANBU said she was resting after a minor incident.

Kurenai-sensei was also shocked when Kiba-kun decided to brag about how "Badass" I was and the fight with Neji-nii-san. "I'm going to have to tell Anko to go easy… we don't need two of her in the village just yet."

Of all the teams that had entered, only a few remained: Gai-sensei's team, Kakashi-sensei's team, Asuma-sensei's team, the Suna team with the boy who had the gourd on his back, and our team. The teams from Ame, Kusa, Sound, and one of the Suna teams were missing.

"Since there are an adequate number of teams that have passed, we will move into the third stage in one month's time instead of a preliminary match," Hokage-sama said, before we randomly drew match ups for the upcoming exam.

A few minutes later, they were displayed on the screen: Sai vs. Shino, Ino vs. Shikamaru, Choujivs. Kiba, Hinata vs. Sakura, Gaara vs. Sasuke, Temari vs. Rock Lee, Tenten vs. Kankuro, and Neji would skip a round.

I looked over to Sakura-san and smiled when she noticed me. Her hair looked as though it was cut during the exams. "Sakura-san?"

"Y-yes…? " she edged away from me. It seemed like she heard of my short fight. "W-what is it?"

I bowed to her. "I'm sorry for attacking you a few months ago. You were wrong to call Naruto-kun _that_ name, but I shouldn't have attacked you."

She blinked a few times. "O… kay?" she chuckled nervously. "It was my fault, no real harm done… "

"But I'm not going easy on you," I added, taking small joy in watching her sweat.

* * *

><p><em>2 days after the second exam<em>

"Hey old man," Anko-sensei addressed Hokage-sama, who just sighed. "You ready to teach me how to do the Shadow Clone jutsu?"

"I told you, I wouldn't teach you unless I felt it was necessary…" he said, before mumbling something about how much having an army of her would add to his paperwork.

"It would've helped when I had to sign all the forms for the damage she did to the tower," she turned to me and smirked. "Heard you kicked your cousin's ass. Hope it dislodged the stick stuck in there."

"Shadow clones for paperwork… "Hokage-sama slapped his forehead. "Why didn't I think of that after all this time!"

Anko-sensei laughed out loud, while I couldn't help but giggle. I could've sworn that I heard someone else chuckle too.

"Leaving aside how much time I spend on paperwork being drastically reduced, I'm assigning you two on a C-ranked escort mission. We've found the location of a person of interest and I'm assigning you two to escort someone to retrieve her."

"Oh?" Anko-sensei bought out a kunai and licked it. "Who are we bringing in for me to play with, and who's the person we're escorting?"

Hokage-sama sweat-dropped and chuckled nervously, "The person you are retrieving is Tsunade Senju, one of my students, the legendary Slug Princess, one of the Sannin...and hopefully the next Hokage."

My eyes uncontrollably went wide, as did Anko-sensei's. It was reasonable given who we were being assigned to retrieve. Hokage-sama took a deep breath and smiled. "As for who you are escorting, he's standing behind you."

We both turned to see an older man with white hair, a forehead protector that read "Oil" and a… unique outfit, step out from the shadows. Hokage-sama smiled. "I want you two to meet Jiraiya the Toad Sage, also one of the Sannin, one of my students, and… Naruto's godfather."

We were both paralyzed.

Only the sound of Anko-sensei's kunai hitting the floor was heard.

* * *

><p><em>Canon Jutsu:<em>

8 Trigrams Rotation – Expels chakra from all tenketsu and the user spins around to gain an absolute defense.

Hidden Shadow Snake Hands – A combination summoning and space-time jutsu that shoots snakes from the user's sleeves.

Fire Style: Phoenix Flower - Creates small fire balls that can be controlled with chakra, but short range. It can be used to set up the field for her Mist Blaze Technique.

Fire Style: Mist Blaze Dance - Creates a stream of flammable gas in the lungs, which is breathed out. On contact with flames, it ignites.

Fire Style: Great Fireball - Creates a moderate sized fire ball, size changes based on chakra put into it.

* * *

><p><em>Notes:<em>

I've pointed out several of Hinata's flaws and I'm trying to address them so she isn't a Naruto fangirl nor some weakling. Her world centers around Naruto, which is no better than Sakura's obsession over Sasuke. If the manga wasn't starring Naruto as the main character, it would be the seen as just as bad.

The reason I had Anko take care of her was because she has a neutral opinion on the matter, but could sympathize with both of them. She doesn't hate him and knows how dangerous obsession is. Sasuke goes to Orochimaru because of his obsession with his brother and Orochimaru did horrible things because of his obsession with immortality.

Though I wonder if I'm having Hinata act a little too much Anko…

As for the second exam, they skipped the fight because not enough teams passed to warrant it. Sasuke did get marked and he, and Sai, killed the Sound team in self-defense. Some other things did happen, but like I said, not all of the genin get focus in this story right now, if at all, and this chapter is from Hinata's point of view, and what she doesn't know the reader doesn't know.

And yes, Gato was killed by Haku after Sakura met with him (No, Haku is not a girl in this fic) in the forest while he was gathering herbs and made a side comment that Sai said people like Gato would kill rather than pay. So, Haku spied on him and overheard him saying he would, and the rest is history. Expect to Naruto and Co. to run into Haku and Zabuza after the invasion, and a few other arcs, in Kiri.

Hinata wouldn't win in a close-range fight with Neji and they knew it. His arrogance caused him to underestimate Hinata like in canon and came back with a vengeance.

Next chapter is Tsunade retrieval arc and the end of Naruto's training in Suna.


	5. Chapter 3: Tsunade Senju and Konoha

**Chapter 3: Tsunade's Return and Konoha Revisited**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Revised as of 16/15**

**Beta: Bluemew22**

* * *

><p>"The person you are retrieving is Tsunade Senju," Sarutobi told Anko and Hinata, who had both been summoned to his office. "She was one of my students, the legendary Slug Princess, one of the Sannin...and hopefully the next Hokage."<p>

As the two women were stunned with what they were just informed of, he took a deep breath and smiled. "As for who you are escorting, he's standing behind you." Out from the shadows stepped a legendary, super-pervert. "I want you two to meet Jiraiya the Toad Sage, also one of the Sannin, one of my students, and… Naruto's godfather."

Things were quiet until sound of Anko's kunai hitting the floor rang throughout the room.

"What? Toad got your tongues?" Jiraiya chuckled. Normally women didn't respond to his identity with silence… normally there was hitting, screaming, and death threats.

"I am surprised that you didn't do your… introduction, Jiraiya." Sarutobi noted humorously. "Normally you wouldn't pass up the chance."

The hermit sage sighed. "Not until I find the brat," he said somberly. Hinata's ears twitched when she figured he was talking about Naruto. "But before that, we need to go get Tsunade before she gets too far away from my sources."

"Indeed…" Sarutobi sighed, before looking at the two who were starting to regain their cognitive abilities. "Anyway, as I have said, this is a C-ranked escort mission. The two of you will be escorting Jiraiya to a neighboring village where Tsunade is supposedly… indulging in her habits."

Jiraiya nodded. "The location isn't far. It's about three days to get there, about ten more to convince Tsunade to return, and then five to get back if we have to drag her. The girl can train along the way for the Chuunin Exams."

Anko shook her head. "Wait… why does one of the Sannin need anyone… let alone only us?"

"We're trying to keep the fact that Tsunade and I are going to be here a secret for a few reasons. I've heard about your skills," he nodded to Anko, "and I could use an extra set of eyes," he nodded to Hinata.

* * *

><p><em>Someplace near Suna<em>

Naruto and Kushina had begun the final leg of their training in Suna.

After agreeing to Chiyo's request, she took them to a private stretch of rocky outcropping that held a small oasis and was away from the village's routes, so they that they wouldn't be seen during their training. Kushina and Chiyo realized that Gaara wouldn't likely just sit still while they tampered with his seal, and quickly assumed it would lead to a fight. Fighting a Jinchuuriki, especially one who isn't exactly sane, tended to rate pretty high on the scale of suicidal actions.

Chiyo fighting Gaara would be out of the question. While she was skilled, she was a puppeteer, meaning she normally controlled her puppets from a safe distance and hidden, while they dealt with the threat. However, Gaara's sand and automatic defenses weren't to be underestimated, and at her age it would have been impossible to avoid completely.

Kushina was also out of the question. She could tie him down, but unlike the fox, he had that sand shield which moved regardless of the boy's will and would lash out at her before she could apply the seal. Also, considering his unstable nature, he may go full Tailed-Beast form, which would be as bad as the attack on the night Naruto was born, and she needed to conserve her chakra to hold him down.

As much as Kushina hated to say it, she knew that her son was the only one who could fight him. When one Jinchuuriki goes berserk, either a Kage or another Jinchuuriki was sent to stop them.

Naruto had taken a few days of counseling from his mother to get over the fact that he saw someone die like that. After that, he pretty much agreed wholeheartedly once Chiyo explained the type of life Gaara had. Naruto pretty much guessed that's exactly how he would have turned out if Sarutobi, Iruka, Teuchi, and Ayame weren't there.

But all parties pretty much agreed that Naruto was in no condition to even hope of going against Gaara in his current state. He wasn't fast enough. He wasn't proficient enough in using his element. He couldn't beat Gaara as he was.

To that end, Chiyo had called in a favor to a young girl she knew that was proficient in using the wind element…

"OW!" the young Jinchuuriki cried. He and about thirty clones had just gotten the crap kicked out of them by said girl with a single attack that knocked them into the rocky wall a few dozen meters away.

"Chisaki," Chiyo called. "Try not to give the original one brain damage. Trying to explain the basics to him is hard enough already as is… "

"I'm trying not to Chiyo-baa-sama, but he's not using the _Wind Scythe Jutsu_ properly," the older teen responded. "And I'm not even using the larger fans like Temari-chan."

Aiding him in his training was an older teenage girl with pink hair that reminded Naruto of Sakura's. She didn't wear as much make-up, dressed in a black-sleeveless shirt that pressed against her well-endowed assets, and a red skirt that went to her knees, with tights underneath and combat sandals.

In her hands were two War Fans, which were small and made of iron, for durability, and had sharp tips for hand-to-hand combat. She demonstrated by pounding about fifty of his clones in combat as a warm up and finishing the remaining fifty with a _Wind Scythe Jutsu_. She could also use chakra flow with wind chakra to extend the cutting range from the tips.

In order for Naruto to gain more experience in using wind techniques, they felt it was best to let him experience it first-hand… by beating it into him. While they weren't going to teach him something like the _Wind Style: Wind Dragon Bullet_ yet, since he really didn't have the control for it, they needed to teach him how to use the air around him as a weapon.

Normally they use fans to create gusts and then use normal chakra to shape the wind at lower levels without any hand seals, only using wind chakra to add cutting properties to it. However, Naruto practically destroyed the fans they gave him to practice with by trying to use chakra flow, and they weren't made for someone with his lack of control and large amounts. The gales he created didn't so much as lack force as they did direction and concentration, allowing Chisaki's attacks to pierce them easily.

Luckily, that's where Gen's new, custom weapons came in.

Naruto's weapon was a small chakra conducting blade with the Uzushio symbol on the slightly wide mouth of the blade, and nine red stripes along the length of the black blade, which was about a foot, while the hilt was about six inches. It was similar to the ones mass produced in Konoha, but aesthetics aside, this one would split from one thick blade into nine thin blades in a fan pattern and then shape the chakra flowing through it into the fan itself.

Kushina's weapon was basically two, orange-colored, three-inch thick disks, about a foot in diameter each, held together by a small cylinder in the center that could detach them with a twist… in other words a big yoyo, with the symbol of Uzushio on it. When chakra was infused, it created a circular chakra blade from the space between the disks and rotated, creating a saw that could cut through solid matter with ease, and when a chakra chain was attached it became a flail-like weapon that could attack as far as she could extend the chains. If water chakra was infused, it could wash away other sources of chakra, like the kind being used to maintain a jutsu.

Both of the weapons had seals from Kushina designed to maintain the flow of chakra and redirect them, allowing them to withstand even Naruto's poor control and channel their respective elements better. Gen's creations were named by their owners: The "Nine-Tailed Fan" and the "Whirlpool Yo-Yo," both designed personally for the two of them.

"We at least want him able to do the _Wind Scythe Jutsu_, the _Sand Storm Jutsu_, and the _Wind Style: Cross Gales Jutsu_ by the time the Chuunin Exams start," Chisaki added. "Shadow clones or not, it'll take him some time to get used to controlling the air using fans since he's use to getting up close, and unless someone like that girl from Nadeshiko Village pops up, we've got to work with what we've got."

"Naru," Kushina called out to him while he was shaking his head to stop the spinning. "I want you to make two hundred more clones. Half on the _Chakra Chain Jutsu_, the other half wall climbing the rocks."

"Add some more for me to beat on—I mean teach," Chisaki corrected herself. _It has been awhile since I've tried a few of my other techniques… _

"Don't forget some more chakra control exercises," Chiyo mentioned. "Have about five of your clones watch him so he doesn't slack off. The rest need to be divided into using _Chakra Threads_, studying the finer details of puppeteer arts, and your own chakra control exercises. "

"Right," she nodded, before looking back over to him. "Make it five hundred!"

The boy silently swore.

* * *

><p><em>Outside Konoha<em>

"J-Jiraiya-sama," Hinata addressed the Toad Sage, before dodging a kunai from Anko for stuttering. "How are you… Naruto-kun's godfather? I thought he was an orphan?"

Jiraiya looked at her somberly and sighed. "I knew his parents… they were good people, but after they died it was decided to keep them a secret for his own safety. They had a lot of enemies."

"Then, did you know about the abuse?" Anko said in an emotionless voice.

He glared at her, but shook off his rage. "I didn't, and when I learned he was missing and what had happened, I was going to kill every single one of them until sensei calmed me down," Jiraiya said, leaking killing intent that made the two nearly fall of the tree branch they had just hopped on.

"Truthfully, I should have been watching over him, but my writing career aside, I was working on tracking down a snake you should be familiar with…" Anko got the message. "If I had known, I would have fed them to the mountain toad and took Naruto along with me instead of allowing that to happen."

_Minato and Kushina would be ashamed of me… _Jiraiya thought silently. "My spy network is spread thin tracking down the snake and a group he was associated with consisting of several dangerous people. I wanted to use them to find Naruto, but in the process I learned the snake had something planned soon, but I'm not sure what, and I don't want to take him on alone if I could help it."

"That's where the other Sannin comes in," Anko figured. If one Sannin was planning something, then having two to face him would be a smart idea.

Jiraiya nodded. "Sensei is getting along in years and Tsunade is the only one capable of replacing him at the moment."

Anko tilted her head. "What about you?"

"Hehehe…" Jiraiya chuckled. "Surely you know of my reputation and what I do for a living aside from being a shinobi. If I take the hat, there'll be a riot."

"Reputation?" Hinata wondered aloud.

Anko sighed. "He's known as one of the biggest perverts—"

"Super-Pervert," Jiraiya corrected without shame.

"—super perverts in the 5 nations and writes those orange books that Kakashi reads."

"… I see…" Hinata said softy, losing a healthy amount of respect for the man. She had by chance had her bloodline activated and skimmed a few sentences while near Kakashi.

She then attempted to use her "Scarlet Gentle Fist" on it and reduce to ashes before Kakashi dodged.

"Relax, I won't bother with writing the next one until I find Naruto," his eyes narrowed. "Once Tsunade takes the hat, I'll go out and personally search for him. Once I do find him, I'll take him with me and train him."

Hinata was somewhat relieved a legendary shinobi would go so far for Naruto, but there was something else on her mind. "… will you bring him back to the village?"

Jiraiya stopped in his tracks. "… I don't know. He's technically safer in the village for a few reason—" he raised his hand to stop their complaints, "—even with the abuse, there are far worse people who are going to come after him because of the fox. But I'm afraid of leaving him there because I've seen how Jinchuuriki eventually react to the abuse."

"There are others?" Hinata asked.

"The Kyuubi is the strongest of all the known chakra demons, including the nine various Tailed-Beasts, the Bijuu." Jiraiya started moving again with the girls in tow. "Normally their identities are kept a secret from other villages, but during a previous war, someone I knew met one who was treated somewhat decently in Kumo and had the Eight-Tailed Ox, the Hachibi. I also heard rumors about the Two-Tailed Cat, the Nibi."

"There are nine?" Anko stared. "And two of them are in Kumo!"

"The kidnapping attempts on various Konoha members aside," he sympathetically nodded to Hinata, "they have the best reputation for treating Jinchuuriki as equals."

Hinata was silent. The village that tried to kidnap her when she was younger actually treated people like Naruto better than her own village. That was very disappointing.

"Anyway," Jiraiya continued, bring them back on topic. "Not only do Jinchuuriki have high chakra reserves, but some have bloodline abilities and all of them can go through a transformation. The first stage is when they gain a cloak of chakra and the closer the number of tails to the total they manifest, the stronger they get but they become more hostile and irrational."

"You said first stage…" Anko whispered. "There's more?"

"There's the second stage, where the body is altered to become more like the beast and far more powerful than their cloaks alone, partial transformations where they change a part of their body into the beast's, and finally they go full Bijuu. A Kage-level shinobi alone can probably fight up to a certain point, but it's a long shot regardless—and you do not want to be on the receiving end of a Tailed-Beast Ball. Those things can level mountains and force you to redraw a map… "

"And people _actually_ antagonize them?" Anko said in shock. "Dumbasses! All of them! The boy should've killed a few them to get the message across."

"If he did that, the council would've had Naruto killed and I would've killed them, leading to another S-rank missing-nin from Konoha. The only reason most Jinchuuriki don't go rogue or become missing-nin like Naruto is because they're normally related to someone in a high position to the village, like a Kage. That way they'll be loyal and hopefully not be treated in an abusive manner. If they do lash out or get too violent to control, the beast is ripped out of them and placed into a new container, killing the current host."

Jiraiya's face hardened. "By the way, this information is S-ranked. Talking about it lightly will get you executed. The only reason I'm telling you this is because I've heard how the little fallen princess here defended Naruto, and that's something I am grateful for."

Both women nodded.

"Now, let's get back to finding Tsunade before she hightails it because she starts to win at gambling."

"How is that a bad thing?" Anko asked.

"If I'm a Super-Pervert, she's the Legendary Sucker, because she never wins unless something bad is going to happen, and me dragging her back qualifies as bad for her."

* * *

><p><em>The Village Housing Tsunade – 3 days later<em>

"Tsunade-sama, this is the fourth time you've won the jackpot!" said a woman with shoulder length black hair and bangs, wearing a long dark blue kimono. Next to her was a woman that looked her age with blonde hair and wearing a green jacket that has the symbol for "Gamble" on it.

"… Fu—" the blonde woman was about to swear, knowing that it was time to leave, when a certain super-pervert grabbed her shoulder.

"Been awhile princess," Jiraiya smiled, Anko and Hinata behind him. "You too, Shizune-chan."

"Jiraiya-sama!" Shizune took a step back.

"DAMMIT!" Tsunade swore. "I knew I should've left after the first jackpot!"

* * *

><p><em>The Next Day<em>

Hinata was in a trance, as she focused her bloodline on the target in front of, a dead tree on the outskirts of the village.

"8 Trigrams 32 Palms!" Infusing her strikes with her fire chakra, the blasts of chakra became scarlet colored and penetrated the wood. The wood darkened substantially, radiating outward from every point hit.

She relaxed from her stance once she saw Jiraiya coming from behind her.

"Yo!" the Toad Sage called out, looking at the blacked tree. "That's impressive. A Gentle Fist strike infused with fire chakra. I've wondered why I never seen a Hyuuga using elemental chakra in their strikes, but I've heard your clan's traditions were so strict that it wasn't allowed."

"Y-yes," she stuttered, and a kunai came from the village, hit the tree when she ducked, and it collapsed on itself. Jiraiya just looked in the direction it flew from and saw the purple-haired kunoichi saying something. "Sorry, if I start stuttering she throws things at me. It's just that being around someone as renowned as yourself."

"You'll get used to it…" he sat on a rock and looked at her peacefully. "Can you do me a favor?"

"If it is within my abilities, I'll be happy to," she answered.

"Tell me about my godson."

* * *

><p><em>A Few Days Later<em>

"Damn it, Jiraiya!" Tsunade swore, as she sat in a small drinking booth, having a few shots. "I keep telling you, I don't want to go back to Konoha! There's nothing but bad memories there."

"I know princess, I know…" Jiraiya sighed, taking a swig of his own drink. "But after all this time, I wouldn't have asked if it wasn't necessary."

"What could be so bad that the almighty, legendary Super-Pervert, Sannin, and Toad Sage needed to come and ask me to return to Konoha?"

"The snake," Jiraiya said somberly. "He's planning something and he's got something to do with that new village, Oto. The team they sent for the Chuunin Exams were all killed in the Forest of Death, but one of the genin from Konoha was marked with a seal, the last Uchiha."

"You know more about seals than me," she spat. "Why do you need me?"

"We know how he feels about the village, and sensei is getting along in years. If he was going to do something, the easiest time would be during the finals in a few days."

"And what about after?" she said. "I'm not stupid. I know that if I come back I'll have to take the hat from sensei."

"My godson went missing," he said quietly, watching Tsunade's eyes go wide briefly. "One of your distant relatives and heir to _his_ legacy went missing six months ago." Jiraiya told her what he learned of what Naruto went through.

Tsunade snorted. "That's less of a reason for me to go back, if they're willing to treat him like that, then there's really no hope for the village now. The brat's better on the run than in a place like that."

"Not all of them are like that," Jiraiya tried to argue. "The girl I bought with me, she doing her best and pushing herself to get stronger because she couldn't do anything before. Sensei, and a few others were hit the hardest and they just need to know he's safe. I'm sure we can't change the mind of those who are in our age range since they're too set in their ways, but we can at least set the ground work for his generation to accept him."

"Please," she shook her head. "You're probably just going to go back to writing that smut once I'm stuck there."

Jiraiya got out of the booth and kneeled in front of her on the dirty ground. "Please, Tsunade. I want to at least make sure sensei and Konoha are safe before I go find my godson, and I need your help. I'll pay off all of your debts and give up writing until I can find the boy, it's the least I can do for _his_ boy."

She closed her eyes, as a single tear fell out. "You know… I'm not capable of combat anymore… Just being there brings me pain… Please Jiraiya, don't make me go back… "

"Just being there alone will bring morale up and security," he pleaded. "With your and Shizune-chan's expertise you can raise the level of quality in the medic-nins. We've both lost people we cared about because of circumstance beyond our control, your loved ones and my students who were like children to me, and I know it hurts, but please… "

She silently cried as she recalled the memories of her brother and lover. The moment of silence between them was interrupted when a kunai planted itself where Jiraiya's head was not a second ago since he moved to avoid it. He grabbed the kunai to toss it into the air before the explosive tag went off and lit the night sky.

Tsunade had grabbed the stool Jiraiya was sitting on before he kneeled and tossed it in the direction the kunai came from, breaking it as it hit a tree and causing the tree to fall down and reveal a shinobi with an Iwa forehead protector. "Even if his head is on the ground and not with the purple haired-woman, and she's crying drunk without that other girl, they are Sannin," the shinobi muttered.

"Let me guess…" Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Anti-Sannin faction from Iwa?"

"Well…" he pointed to his scratched out forehead protector, indicating he was a missing-nin. "Not _officially_ of course." Several more shinobi stepped from out of the shadows.

_One… five… seventeen of them… _Jiraiya and Tsunade counted the number of hostile presences they felt. It was followed by the sound of screaming from civilians and yells from bandits, as the buildings in flames begun to light up the horizon. _They must've drawn in bandits to deal with Anko and Shizune… _

"Every time you show up Jiraiya, things go straight to hell!" Tsunade whined. She was sure Shizune was around the area the bandits were since she sent her off so that she wouldn't try to convince her to go back to Konoha.

"Not now princess," Jiraiya bit his thumb and flipped through the boar, dog, bird, monkey, and ram seals. "Summoning!"

A giant toad from Mount Myouboku named Gamariki joined the battlefield. "Gamariki, use Water Gun in the sky and make it rain to put out the fires!" The toad did just that, and it began to rain over the land.

"Get them!" the cannon fodder yelled, resulting in a clash between the two Sannin and a random assortment of Iwa runaways.

Jiraiya formed a spiraling sphere of chakra in each hand and drove them into the chest of two of men before they even knew what hit them. The spheres grinded away at their flesh and twisted it, as they pushed past the skin and into the muscles, tearing them, and then the vital organs, killing them. "Twin Rasengan!"

Another tried to stab him in the back, but he twisted, bringing his leg with him, and snapped the man's neck with a crunch from the impact. When two more ran over their fallen ally to get to him, he charged. Behind him was the sound of shattering earth, as Tsunade had just caved in the chest of the second one who attacked her, bringing the kill count to five.

The one-sided slaughter continued, until one maimed body was knocked into the air by an earth jutsu. The body flew over lifeless over Tsunade, leaving her covered in the dripping blood. She reached up to touch her face, before looking at her hand and seeing them dyed red, before she fell to her knees.

"Fuck!" Jiraiya swore, planting his foot into another shinobi's chest and crushing his ribcage. The fractured ribs pierced his heart and lungs, killing him. _Her fear of blood… if they see her like that… I've gotten out of shape to have to struggle against a few mid-level jounins…_

Closing in to the Sannin were Hinata and Anko. Shizune was busy treating the civilians who were injured, so she stayed behind. They had just taken care of the bandits. Some died relative quickly from a Gentle Fist to the heart, others died painfully from Anko's snake venom or Shizune's poisoned senbon. It wasn't her first time killing, that was on a mission with Kurenai and she had received counseling for it and accepted it somewhat as a part of the career she was in.

Hinata saw Tsunade crouched on the ground shaking while her bloodline was active… and saw a shinobi underground poised to strike her with a kunai.

"Tsunade-sama!" Hinata cried, as she dived towards the blood-stained woman. The kunai breached the ground and plunged itself into the stomach of the young kunoichi, who recoiled in pain before Anko's snakes bit the hand that stabbed her, causing it to contort violently before it finally went limp.

"Hinata!" Anko yelled, as she turned over the girl to see her coughing blood and in pain, her complexion fading faster than the small wound would indicate. She was wearing her chainmail, so it didn't go too far in, but from her reaction… "She's been poisoned."

She looked at Tsunade. "Help her!"

Tsunade didn't move, still shaking in place out of fear.

Anko raised her hand and brought it across the woman's face. "Listen here! That girl just saved you! She's been poisoned and your assistant isn't nearby! You are the only one here who can do something about it!"

"But… I…" Tsunade mumbled weakly, staring at the dying girl.

"Snap out of it!" Anko yelled as she shook her. "Look at her dammit! Are you just going to let her suffer because of a little blood?"

Tsunade's eyes met the girl's. "She has someone she wants to meet again, but she can't do that if she's six-feet under! If you're supposed to be the best medic-nin, then fucking _prove it_ now!"

Tsunade's wobbling hands hovered over the girl, glowing translucent blue color. _Heart rate accelerated, as well as damage to the stomach, liver, heart, and these symptoms… _"I-it's poison from a type of lizard that's native to the Land of Earth. Get her inside the building and go get me the things I'm about to tell you so I can perform the _Poison Extraction_…" she continued.

Jiraiya looked at the scene from the distance as he stood on top of his summons, having just killed the last attacker, happy to see that Tsunade was getting back to her old self. The girl would survive and become stronger for it.

* * *

><p><em>Land of Wind<em>

"Wind Scythe!" Chisaki and Naruto cried, releasing fierce gales that tore into each other, seeking to decimate the opposing shinobi. As Chisaki's broke through, Naruto made a clone and they channeled wind chakra into their Nine-Tailed Fans.

"Wind Style: Cross Gales!" Naruto and his clone yelled, both swinging down their fan. The released diagonal blades of wind crossed and sliced through the gale that the older teen had summoned. It barreled towards her, while she channeled wind chakra into her fans.

"Wind Style: Cast Net!" the dual fangs were diced in a checkered pattern and Naruto's senses were telling him to dodged, so he jumped as the portion of the wall behind him had been hit, leaving gouges that looked like a net had been cast.

Naruto threw two kunai that she deflected to the side with her fan and finished setting the field for her next attack. The clear sky had grown dark and cloudy, concentrated above the boy.

"Wind Style: Great Task of the Dragon!" Chisaki announced, pointing her fan towards the brat. The storm clouds parted and a howling twister descended onto the boy, drawing up sand and carving out a mark in the land. By the time the twisted died, the boy was half-buried in the sand.

_It's over… _Chisaki sighed… then the body disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Shadow Clone!"

The two kunai that she had deflected popped and became two Narutos that each kicked her arms upwards, disarming her of the War Fans she held onto. Not missing a beat, she placed a kunai in the clones' chests and looked over to see the chuckling original.

"Not so hot without out those babies now, are you?" Naruto snickered… only to see her performing the tiger and rabbit hand seals. "Oh come on, you have _more_ jutsu?"

"My name means '_a thousand blossoms_', so I went out of my way to learn this technique," she gloated, finishing the dragon seal. "_**Wind Style: Scattering Flower Dance!**_"

Another twister of wind and petals was born from beneath Chisaki's feet, and it spiraled around her and then flew like a snake towards Naruto. On impact, it pushed him into the rocky wall and then firmly embedded him into before dying out.

"I will admit, using substitution with a shadow clone was brilliant," Kushina said, sitting next to Chiyo after finishing their portion of their own training. "His father would be proud of his progress."

"Indeed," Chiyo agreed. "Had he not simply gloated upon disarming Chisaki, he may have beaten her… maybe… We'll head back to Suna tonight and get ready for the trip to Konoha."

* * *

><p><em>Konoha Main Gate – A Few Days Later<em>

"Man," Chisaki moaned. "That line was long as hell to get in here."

"It can't be helped," Chiyo said. "During the Chuunin Exams, there are a large number of people of interest coming to watch the potential of the various villages' genin."

Naruto and Kushina just stared at Konoha as a whole. It had been so long since either one had been there—well, about half a year for one, over twelve years for the other.

Before they crossed the Land of Rivers, Chiyo told them to change their appearance once more, since there might be some fallout from what they planned to do. This wasn't exactly authorized by the Kazekage and this way they would be able to escape if things went to hell.

Speaking of the man who turned his child into an unstable weapon and traumatized him, Chiyo had Chisaki use her summoning, coyotes, to track the man as he left Suna. Before they got to gate, the summonings said that the man's scent had changed to snakes and blood midway through the trip. Chiyo was tempted to brush it off since her only goal was to help Gaara, but to be safe she told her to have them inspect the area the scent changed at.

"We'll split up now and contact each other once the finals have begun," Chiyo said, as she and Chisaki began to leave the mother and son.

"… did you hear?" one of the gate keepers whispered to the other. Naruto's enhanced hearing picked up on it with relative ease. "Jiraiya-sama is back in town."

Curious, Naruto whispered who he was to his mother. Her response was to smile sweetly while extruding killing intent, causing him to sweatdrop. "He's someone I'm going to hurt for neglecting his duties."

The pair proceeded on Naruto's insistence to go eat at Ichiraku. He hadn't had some of that ramen in six months and was tempted to sneak into the village at one point just to have another bowl, missing-nin status be damned. Kushina herself was partial to salt ramen.

As they were passing the main street, they saw a young boy arguing with an adult with shades, before transforming into a nude woman cloaked in smoke, causing the man to bleed from the nose excessively. Naruto almost broke down laughing, and when his mother asked what was so funny, he told her that he had taught Konohamaru that technique…

She decked him in the head, leaving him twitching headfirst into the ground. "… Should've seen that coming… "

After he pulled himself up, they had to talk about their plans until the exams. Kushina wanted to get in contact with Jiraiya and Sarutobi to scold them, although Naruto insisted that she at least show the old man some mercy since he was doing something at least, and then do like she promised and show those academy instructors who taught him incorrectly the error of their ways. Naruto said just to not hurt Iruka.

Right outside Naruto's favorite eating place, some idiot commented that the "demon" not being around makes the food taste better. Kushina created some chakra threads—since her chains were too big—and manipulated his hand into knocking a certain purple-haired special jounin's dango from her grip. The slaughter was somewhat pleasing to her ears.

"Hey, I want some ramen!" Naruto said loudly, causing his mother to deck him again for being rude. "I mean, can I please have some ramen?"

"Hm," the owner, Teuchi mumbled. For a second, he thought Naruto had just burst it. "Ah, welcome! What'll you be having?"

"Give me one of everything and keep it coming!" Naruto said.

His mother sighed. "Naru—" Teuchi almost dropped his ladle. "We are on a budget, so no more than ten bowls. I'll have a few bowls of Salt Ramen myself."

"C-Coming up!" the man said. That was so much that he thought he was feeding Naruto again. After the two tore through a good deal more than what they ordered and he was out of supplies for the day, they paid him with some of the money they earned from Suna. "Wow, you guys reminded me of a good customer I had… he was a good kid… "

Naruto stopped mid-bite of his last bowl. "His name was Naruto, a blonde kid with a good heart. His disappearance hurt a lot of people."

"R-really…? " Naruto asked.

Teuchi smiled. "You look a lot like him if weren't for your hair color and missing the facial markings."

He went on about how Hinata had been exiled from her clan for supporting him, Iruka's showing little to no passion for teaching, his daughter rarely smiling anymore, and Konohamaru training hard so when he graduated he could go search for him, to the point his grandfather found him passed out on the training field and ordered Ebisu to make sure he doesn't go overboard again. The Hokage himself was running himself ragged trying guess where Naruto was as well.

Naruto… was actually crying at that point. His mother excused them and left after thanking them in order to get him to a hotel. Once they were in the room and she placed a few privacy seals, he broke down seeing how much of an impact he had on their lives and made them miserable. Kushina told him to stay here while she finished her business and write them each a letter and she would make sure that they get delivered tonight.

Once she left the hotel, she went into an alley and made thirty shadow clones and had them transform into several different people. "Find Jiraiya! I don't care if you have to check every single hot spring, bathhouse, and dirty magazine section of every store."

She then left to go buy her materials for the puppet and kick some members of the "people who screwed over my son" list's asses. There was a reason she was known as the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero…

* * *

><p><em>With Naruto<em>

Naruto has just finished writing the letters his mother told him to towards the various people he hurt by running away, and walked out of the hotel to get some fresh air. As he was walking absent mindedly, he was knocked over by someone and his Nine-Tailed Fan toppled onto the ground.

"Ah, sorry!" a young girl's voice called out to him, as she extended her hand for him to grab. Naruto grabbed it and pulled himself up. "I didn't see you there."

"No harm done…" he replied with a smile and took a good look at the girl. She had brown eyes, wore a pink sleeveless blouse and dark green pants, with buns in her hair.

The girl looked on the ground and saw the Nine-Tailed Fan in its blade form, picking it up. She recognized the underlying seals on the weapon, the craftsmanship of the blade, and the overall quality of it, with stars in her eyes. "Is this magnificent, beautiful weapon yours?"

"Y-yeah…" he stuttered slightly, having seen that look in some of Sasuke's more rabid fangirls.

"The seals on it are… unique. I haven't seen any like it before," she turned the blade over. "Who made it?"

"A friend made the blade itself, the seals were the work of my mother, although I understand how they work for the most part…" she looked at him with hungry eyes and grabbed him.

"Come with me!" she said, before dragging him off to her home, a weapons shop, and past her confused father into her room. Once the girl calmed down, he explained that even if he tried to explain the seals it wouldn't do any good since it was above her skill level since his mother was on a different level than most seal masters.

Instead, he pulled put the decorative kunai that his mother made in Suna. He could explain to her the three layers applied to the kunai managed the chakra stored inside. She paid attention and understood relatively quickly, much more quickly than he did. After four hours alone she managed to make an array on her own based off the first layer with Naruto looking over it, correcting a few mistakes he himself made at first.

It was simple overall, all it would do is release the chakra inside the object it was stored in, causing it to become a shrapnel bomb. Embedded on a kunai and set to trigger after a time delay, it would explode after the opponent thought it was another plain kunai and not expecting it. It would be fairly effective.

After she made a dozen or so, she dragged Naruto off to a training ground to test them.

"It works!" she squeaked, seeing the tree filled with dozens of deadly shards after the initial rupturing. If she altered the kunai's shape and composition, possibly some type of element… "Endless possibilities!"

_I think I've created a monster… _Naruto sweat-dropped. Then his skin crawled as he felt a surge of killing intent aimed at him. "Tenten-chan, isn't your father going to be worried since it's getting late and you ran off so suddenly… with a boy?"

"Maybe…? " She thought about it for a bit. "Yeah, I should go… "

She gave him four of her maiming-capable weapons as thanks and ran off. Once she was a good distance out of sight, Naruto sighed and called out to seemingly empty space. "I know you're there. You can come out now."

From the shadows emerged a boy with distinctive red hair and a gourd on his back.

* * *

><p><em>With Kushina<em>

Kushina rubbed her fist as tenderly as she could. To her surprise, Jiraiya was near the Hokage Monument, staring at her husband's face on the mountain alone. When she saw an opening she shot a bunch of chakra chains from underneath him and binded him.

She knew his reactions were better than that and it was probably a combination of seeing her technique after all these years and the moment of silent reflection while looking at Minato's face, that left such a huge gap in his defenses. Either way, it did not stop her from smashing him in the face while wearing a fox mask she procured for both her son and herself. She then left the unconscious man a letter telling him to meet with her at a certain location tonight with Sarutobi.

As Kushina had just bought as much of the supplies as she could, noting that several places required a certain level of clearance to get the rest, she just received the memories of her shadow clone that was tailing her son, being dragged off by a girl. While cute, seeing him being pulled around like that reminded her of a few past memories with Minato, he shouldn't be wandering off all of a sudden.

He didn't leave for a few hours and the girl was positively glowing while dragging him out to one of the training grounds. She would have to go check up on them… If she has a grandchild… there would be no mercy.

"The bun-haired girl said which training ground again?" she asked herself.

* * *

><p><em>The Hokage's Office<em>

Sarutobi was a busy Hokage at this time of the year, and while having shadow clones helped, this year there seemed to be a bunch of people attacking various staff members of the Academy and adding to his paperwork. He noted that these were all people who part of Naruto's lack of progress at the Academy after he had them checked by Inoichi shortly after the boy fled, for not helping Iruka in defending him. He was content to simply call it karma and sweep it under the rug, but Tsunade pointed out that whoever could do it must've been a shinobi because they weren't caught after running away… like they vanished.

"What happened to you?" Tsunade and Sarutobi asked when they saw Jiraiya nursing a swollen eye as he walked in.

He walked up to the walls and placed a seal slip he found in the letter envelope and activated it. "I think I may have found Naruto."

The clones all stopped and the original and Tsunade looked at him expectantly. He handed them the letter. "This was left after I was hit while… distracted."

They opened it.

_Toad Sage,_

Come to the location where the orange fox was born tonight. Bring Sarutobi with you, but use the seal I included to make sure you aren't overheard in his office. The fourth had always thought that it might have been bugged. Come alone, no ANBU, or you will not see your godson again.

From, The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero.

P.S. Sarutobi must've received reports of several people who hindered the fox's growth being punished. It was me.

"It… can't be…" Sarutobi's pipe fell from his mouth.

"I thought so too," Jiraiya said, before placing a single strand of red hair in front of them. "I'm going. This is the best lead we've had, and if it is her… I owe her an apology… "

* * *

><p><em>Back to Naruto<em>

"… Who are you?" the boy droned. "Mother is telling me you have one inside of you. That you are similar to me."

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki," he said, deactivating his seal and reverting to normal for a moment. "And the one talking to you inside your head isn't your mother, but the One-Tailed Raccoon Dog, Ichibi, Gaara of the Desert."

"Mother is calling for your blood…" the cork on his gourd popped out. "She says she'll be happy once I give it to her… "

"Gaara, I don't want to fight with you if I can help it." Naruto said. "I know about your past and I want to help you."

"Enough!" Gaara said in the same monotone voice, "I shall kill you… your blood shall sate my sand!"

Sand lashed out at Naruto like a large hand that was going to catch and crush him. Naruto's hand was already on the Nine-Tailed Fan when a blue arc cut through the sand, clumps of it falling to the ground soaked and wet. They both looked behind Naruto and saw his mother there, her disguise off after making sure no one was there, with her Whirlpool Yo-Yo.

"… You are?" Gaara asked.

"I am Naruto's mother," Kushina spoke up. She wanted to try her luck at sealing the boy's mind from the Ichibi, but between the shadow clones, that attack just now, her upcoming meeting, and the fact that she hadn't had Naruto refill her reserves in about three days since they were with Chiyo and only lightly traveling, she wasn't willing to risk it. "If we fight here, it'll draw a commotion and likely cancel the Chuunin Exams."

"Gaara," Naruto tried to reach him again. "Listen to me, I know what you went through, about your uncle, and I want to help you. We want to help you."

"How can you understand my pain, when you have someone watching over you like a mother hen?" Gaara pointed out, as he withdrew the sand.

"I wasn't there for the majority of his life and we've only just started making up for lost time," Kushina told him. "He can understand what you went through. The life of a Jinchuuriki is never a happy one. But like I said, now isn't the time for this."

"… I will kill you both," he said, unfazed. "However, the mission comes first… Naruto Uzumaki. Tomorrow, after I fulfill my mission, I will come for you two. Only then will mother be happy…" he mumbled, turning into sand.

"I won't run, Gaara." Naruto told him. "But before you go killing anyone else, come after me first! I'll take everything you've got and more!"

"So be it…" the boy disappeared once the sand was blown away by the wind.

Kushina was proud of her son's declaration. Still, she should make sure that Naruto had a few backup plans in order to win… But there was still the matter that actually bought her here…

"So, Naruto…" Kushina smiled sweetly at her son while her hair split into nine portions. "Care to tell me why you were coming out of a young woman's home and why she was blushing like that?"

Naruto began sweating profusely. "I can explain!"

* * *

><p><em>Late that Night<em>

Sarutobi and Jiraiya had arrived at the meeting place in secrecy, along with Tsunade, who felt it was a trap. A large number of chains popped out of the ground, surrounding the trio in a barrier that expanded outward for a few hundred feet.

Tsunade swore. "It's a trap after all!"

"No," Sarutobi said. "There was only one person we knew who could do this."

From behind a tree, a figure appeared wearing a short-sleeved mesh shirt under a light-blue kimono-like blouse with a white spiraling wave pattern at the bottom and a black obi. She had a dark skirt and wore a fox mask, her red hair reached down her back.

"Kushina…" Sarutobi and Jiraiya said, recognizing the hair.

She reached up and pulled the mask off, revealing a very spiteful glare. "You two have a hell of a lot to explain," she directed toward the two men.

"How…?" Tsunade stepped up. "You were supposed to be dead."

"Tsunade… I didn't know you were in the village," she walked up to the woman. "The night I was giving birth, a masked man appeared," she looked over to Sarutobi sympathetically. Angry or not, he deserved her sympathy. "He killed Biwako, Toji, the ANBU, and was the reason for the attack of the Kyuubi."

"WHAT!" Sarutobi said in shock. He knew his wife was killed, but not how. "Who—"

Before he could ask, Tsunade spoke up. "You didn't answer my question. How do we know you aren't an enemy who's masquerading as a dead kunoichi to cause problems? Where's the brat?"

Their suspicion was warranted. With the information they had about Orochimaru flying around, it could be him with some trick. She was waiting for any sign of deception, after which she would smash the imposter.

Kushina sighed. "When Minato and I died, we sealed a portion of our chakra into Naruto's seal, in case it was about to break. After Naruto escaped the village, the fox told him how to bring me back since he needed to be trained and protected from the man I just mentioned, since he would eventually come back after it. This body is a special puppet that anchors me to this plane, and Naruto is in the village for now, under a certain seal to prevent anyone from recognizing him."

"Then, Minato—" Jiraiya mumbled.

"His portion is still inside our son, and I plan to bring him back, but the two of us did die." Kushina stared at the man with a murderous glare. "He would be disappointed in you for not watching over him! My son had to raise himself for five years and was tortured all his life! Where the hell were you!?"

Jiraiya had nothing to say.

Tsunade snapped Kushina's attention back to her by tapping her foot on the ground. "He was busy," she said, which was true since spy networks don't set themselves up, meeting the woman's glare with her own.

Kushina was pissed, seeing as the woman casually dismissed the abuse of one of her own distant relatives and promptly slapped her, getting one back in response. Kushina tied her down with chains from her body and her hair split in nine sections. Tsunade smirked.

"It's her," she said.

Kushina stopped to think about what happened. "Testing me or not, do not shrug off what my son went through!"

"The boy isn't dead and the pervert is still alive. When they meet you can let him beat the hell out him, but right now we need to know everything that happened," Tsunade countered. "Sensei at least deserves some closure for that night."

Kushina let her down and told them about the man with the Sharingan, who killed everyone and ripped the fox out of her and controlled it. She explained that she only survived because the Uzumaki have strong vitality and why they sealed the fox into Naruto. When she pointed out how Sarutobi should investigate the Uchiha clan, he told her about the massacre.

"Mikoto's boy did that!" she couldn't believe it. Jiraiya told them about the mysterious group hunting the Jinchuuriki and how he discovered that Itachi was a part of them. That bought up a potential link between the two.

When the discussions were over, she gave them the letters to give to Naruto's friends, along with a contact scroll like Gen and Kurogane had, and turned to leave, when Jiraiya spoke up. "When will Naruto return to the village?"

She glared at him before putting the mask on. "This village will kill him before Akatsuki."

"If you won't let him return, at least let me teach him for a few years so that he'll be strong enough to survive! Minato would've wanted him to learn the Rasengan."

"Minato would've wanted you to watch over him so it never came to this!"

"Kushina," Sarutobi said. "You make a valid point, but if Akatsuki is as dangerous as Jiraiya has said, he'll need more than you alone to protect him. Even if you succeed in bringing back Minato, if that man and Akatsuki are connected..."

"He'll have a village… a home that will watch over him…" she told them, thinking about the resurrected Uzushio. "As for the training, I'll consent to it since Minato would want him to learn it, but not right now. If I were to hand him over to you now, he'd be imprisoned or have the fox ripped out of him. But know this Jiraiya! I will never trust you as much as I did before, at least Sarutobi tried to help."

The man shed a single tear.

She raised her left hand and the barrier began to fade. "Also, one of my contacts told me that the Kazekage smelled different on his trip here… like snakes and blood. I thought it was something you should know since the Kages share the box during the exams, and if something happened to you Naruto would cry again."

All three of their eyes opened wide at the news. Kushina vanished in a puff of smoke, revealing she was a shadow clone, just in case things didn't go as smoothly.

"Snakes and blood…" Sarutobi mumbled.

"You think…? " Tsunade said what they we all thinking.

"Even if he did kill and replace the Kazekage, we can't do anything about it until he reveals himself," Jiraiya spoke up. While heartbroken over Kushina's words, which he admitted were right, Orochimaru was someone who took priority. He could drink until he was too numb to feel anything later or train until he felt better… he needed to get better at using sage mode anyway.

"If we did it could lead to another war," Sarutobi said sadly. "No one knows you're back yet, right Tsunade?"

"No, I came in under a Transformation with the Hyuuga girl and her jounin. Jiraiya is the one who slipped up."

"In that case we still have the element of surprise," Jiraiya nodded. "Tsunade, will hide until the finals are underway and only reveal herself if the snake moves. I'll stay with sensei, since too many ANBU will give something away, but a former student is acceptable. We'll double the ANBU inside the arena and tell all the shinobi to be on guard in case something happens with Suna."

* * *

><p><em>Land of Wind<em>

Buzzards were flying in a circle around a few carcasses, as coyotes led a group of men to the location from Suna. As they crossed the last leg, they looked down in shock at the revelation that the carcasses belonged to humans. One elder man ventured down to confirm what they feared the most.

The other member of the Honorable Siblings, Chiyo's brother, stood over the remains of the Kazekage and his guards…

"We must send word to my sister… "

* * *

><p><em>Canon Jutsu:<em>

Wind Scythe – A C-rank offensive that creates a gale using a fan and creates countless invisible blades.

Sand Storm – A defensive technique that acts like a sandblaster in areas with loose dirt and sand.

Wind Style: Cast Net – An Offensive Mid-range technique that create narrow currents of air to form a large net that can slice through an opponent.

Wind Style: Great Task of the Dragon – An all range, offensive of defensive technique with a delayed reaction that alters the weather conditions to create storm clouds to drop a highly concentrated tornado on a target.

Wind Style: Scattering Flower Dance - An offensive technique that creates a twister that can be controlled and has flower petals mixed into the twister.

Poison Extraction – B-rank supplementary technique used with medicinal fluid as a medium to extract poison from a patient.

Summoning - A C-rank space-time ninjutsu that transports animal or people across long distances easily. (Boar-Dog-Bird-Monkey-Ram)

Twin Rasengan – Creates two Rasengans for use at once.

_Non-Canon Jutsu:_

Wind Style: Cross Gales –An Offensive technique that creates two diagonal gales of razor sharp wind to slice through an object or enemy in an X-shape.


	6. Chapter 4: Invasion by Oto and Suna

Advent of the Spiraling Ninja

Chapter 4: Invasion of Suna and Oto

The Chuunin Exams had started out fairly simple.

Sai had lost to Shino due to the bugs consuming the chakra that made up his ink drawings, although Sai was better at taijutsu and got in some substantial blows, which probably demonstrated why Shino should take up more lessons in close combat in the long run. Shikamaru forfeited against Ino, which was no shock there, and Choji and Kiba managed a mutual knockout.

Sakura and Hinata's match was as one-sided as they came. The girl wasn't anywhere near the appropriate level to be fighting against Hinata, who had been training for months with Lee, Gai, and Anko to obtain a level of conditioning that fit her. It was to say, outright embarrassing, and to rub salt into the wound, she did not use Gentle Fist at all during the match.

"Ouch," Naruto said, watching Hinata nail the girl with a kick. "I didn't know Hinata-chan was so strong."

"There's that, but it's more like the other one is fairly weak," Kushina said in a completely neutral tone. "Her taijutsu isn't anywhere near the level it should be, she can't use visual genjutsu against someone with the byakugan, and she hasn't shown any signs of knowing ninjutsu."

"Well, Sakura-chan was always a Sasuke fangirl and did her makeup rather than train," Naruto pointed out. "To be honest, she had perfect test scores and chakra control, but her combat ability is weak…she was cute though, so I tried asking her out, but she always hit me."

Sakura hadn't put any real effort into improving herself until after she was forced to cut her hair to save herself in the Forest of Death, but compared to Hinata, who had Anko as a sensei for half a year, there wasn't any doubt about who was going to win the match. In addition, Hinata was motivated to become stronger for far longer, while Sakura didn't have such drive except for Sasuke. She really was the weakest link on the team.

Kakashi only sighed as he watched his student get beaten from another seat. He knew that this was going to happen, but some lessons can only be beaten in, which was why he had Anko talk to Hinata about defeating her without using Gentle Fist. It was a bit cruel, but having her humiliated in front of a large crowd, crush and all, would make it clear she needed a lot of work done.

When this was all over, he would have to see about getting her a few lessons with Kurenai, and maybe some medic-nin instructions since her control would be suited for it. When the next Chuunin Exams came around, she'd be far more prepared. Although, even he had to wince when Hinata finished her with that last blow.

Chiyo didn't really watch the matches with any interest and was waiting until she saw Baki, who was the commander of the invasion that was going to occur soon. Her brother had found the Kazekage's corpse and had a message sent via messenger hawk to her, but she couldn't find Baki before the events began. Since she couldn't enter the participant's section to talk to him directly, she would have to wait until he showed up, before Suna wound up destroying its alliance with Konoha for absolutely no reason.

"So, that's Mikoto's other boy," Kushina mumbled, watching the next match while Sasuke ran around Gaara's defenses. "He's talented for his age…if that whole incident never happened with their clan, you two probably would've gotten along."

"Not likely," Naruto said. "He was always so stuck up and a showoff and—"

"All likely because he had no one else," Kushina cut him off. "You of all people should know what it's like to be lonely. You, Gaara, and Mikoto's boy have had traumatic pasts that no child should have had, and you all adapted differently. You could relate to Gaara, so try relating to him."

Naruto remained silent, thinking about his mother's words. His thoughts were cut off when Gaara's screams echoed across the Arena from being hit with the Chidori. After that feathers began to fall…

"It's started," Chiyo said, as she and Chisaki dispelled the genjutsu on themselves.

"What's happening?" Kushina asked, releasing Naruto and herself from the genjutsu. She watched as the Kazekage was chased by the Hokage to the top of a building before it was sealed by a barrier jutsu, which set the ANBU before Jiraiya on fire when he touched it.

"The real Kazekage is dead," she told them. "If this gets too far, Suna will have lost everything and killed many for no reason. Chisaki and Naru, you chase after Gaara and subdue him. I have a feeling that they plan on using the raccoon dog as part of the assault. If those genin who chased after them are clan heads, it'll make resolving this even harder if they are killed."

The two of them took off, with Naruto putting on his mask, deactivating his seal, and dropping the Transformation on his clothing to reveal his combat gear. Chiyo looked at the barrier and then looked at the center of the arena, where Baki was fighting with a man with a senbon in his mouth.

"Shina," Chiyo pointed to the barrier. "See if you can do something about that before that old man is killed. I'll go and reach Baki. His radio should reach all of the shinobi from Suna and we can stop this before things go too far."

Kushina followed Naruto's example and left.

Chiyo sighed. "Alright…let's see what these old bones can do…"

* * *

><p><em>With the Hokage<em>

"So…you really did kill the Kazekage, didn't you?" Sarutobi mumbled. "Orochimaru?"

"Kukukukuku…" the fallen disciple snickered, pulling the mask off his face. "I'm surprised sensei. I did not suspect you would have figured out it was me so soon. I suppose that was why Jiraiya was with you."

"We had a feeling it was you after we got a tip," the old man sighed, before ripping off his formal robes and revealing his combat clothing. "You'll find that neither I nor this village will fall so easily."

Sarutobi threw a shuriken at the snake man and formed the ram, rat, bird, boar, and tiger seals. The single shuriken multiplied and rained towards the man in a storm of steel. "Shuriken Shadow Clone!"

"Summoning: Impure World Resurrection!" Orochimaru announced his own jutsu, as two coffins appeared with the kanji for "First" and "Second".

* * *

><p><em>With Chiyo<em>

"Chiyo-baa-sama! What is the meaning of this?" Baki asked. Currently, he, the man with the senbon in his mouth, and a man with a sword on his back and bags under his eyes, were being restricted by her chakra threads and couldn't move.

"Baki, call off the invasion," Chiyo said. "Oto has betrayed Suna, and the Kazekage's corpse has been found."

The swordsman and senbon man stopped struggling at this point to listen in. Baki asked her what she meant and showed him the document. His eyes widened in shock since the document contained the council seal, proof that it was legitimate. "Then…"

"Use your radio to contact the rest and inform them of this deception," Chiyo said. "The only enemy today is Oto." He nodded and she released the man, who fumbled with his radio.

"_What just happened?_" the tired-looking man whispered.

"_Sounds like Orochimaru tricked them into attacking after killing their leader,_" the man with the senbon replied. "_Otherwise, she would have killed us by now. Given—_"

Their conversation was cut short, as the old woman jumped to avoid being crushed by Tsunade. "Old Chiyo of Suna, I didn't expect you to be here…" She looked over to the sickly man, who started sweating profusely. "Hayate…why are you not in the hospital? Do you want me to inform Yugao after this?"

"N-Now let's not be hasty…" he coughed. Tsunade would remember to turn him into her personal lackey for not listening when he got better…

"Tsunade…I see you're still hiding your appearance instead aging gracefully…" Chiyo smirked. "As much as I would love to continue our long rivalry, I believe we have more important things to deal with."

* * *

><p><em>With Jiraiya<em>

"Damn!" Jiraiya swore, as he saw that Orochimaru had summoned the First and Second Hokages. He had sent his summoned toad to deal with the over grown snakes that broke through the village walls, but he couldn't get through this barrier. He was about attempt to punch through it with a jutsu, when an order came through his radio from Tsunade, and Suna suddenly turned on Oto.

"That's war I guess," he mumbled. Suna was back on their side now, but some damage had been done already. There was no way they were getting off scot free once this was over. There would be numerous meetings and reimbursements for damage done and lives lost, but that's the best case scenario if the Third Hokage was still alive.

"Jiraiya!" Tsunade called, landing next to him.

"I was too slow to get inside," he grumbled. As he watched Sarutobi summon Enma and transform him into his adamantine staff. "Sensei won't be able to deal with this alone—" his words were cut off when a kunai landed next to him with a message attached.

_Right corner, prepare to strike._

"Kushina?" Jiraiya said recognizing the handwriting. He looked over to the right corner to see a young man with what looked like a second head smirking at him.

* * *

><p><em>With Kushina<em>

Kushina stood on a rooftop adjacent the barrier. Her red hair and kimono-like blouse were fluttering in the wind, while her mask hid her face. Her eyes were focused on the events unfolding inside the barrier.

"A summoning that raises the dead…" she mumbled to herself. Sarutobi wouldn't survive for very long if he had to keep fighting at his age against Orochimaru and the two previous Hokages. "If it's a summoning, then I can do something about it…"

Her grip on her Whirlpool Yo-Yo tightened, chakra flowing through her hand and permeating the weapon, crafting a perfect circular disk. The disk spun in place, as she held the top portion of the Yo-yo with her fingers tips gripping it. Infusing it with water chakra now, the disk became aquatic blue in color, the speed of the rotation increasing with every second and gathering condensation from the air into the saw, splattering droplets everywhere.

"Uzumaki Hidden Art: Whirlpool Saw!" she cried and threw the disk. Attached to the top was a chakra chain extending from her palm. The flying disk rained droplets of chakra-laden water as it flew towards the closest target: the right corner of the barrier.

Orochimaru's barrier was known as the _Four Flames Formation_. It was an impressive defense that he had set up. Protected on the outside and inside, it would set anything physical that touched it ablaze with a purple flame. However, it was not impenetrable.

There were several ways to break the B-rank jutsu.

An S-ranked technique would be able to plow through the defenses through sheer power or chakra alone, providing the physical object could withstand the flames. An energy-based attack from the lightning element would have the penetrative properties necessary to go through the barrier as well. A counter-seal to be used against the barrier would be the next best thing if those two options were not present, forcing the barrier's distribution of chakra to become distorted or off-balanced, causing it to collapse on itself.

However, Kushina did not expect to encounter such a thing when she arrived in Konoha. While she was a seal master, she would need time to set it up, which was something she did not have considering the battle at hand. Sarutobi wouldn't last much longer…

So salvation laid with her water affinity.

Water itself was a universal solvent. It could dissolve or dissociate most things over time, and chakra itself was no exception when it came into contact with water chakra. The hunter-nin, a special section of ANBU dedicated to hunting down the missing-nin of Kiri, created a technique solely for this purpose known as _Hidden Art: Mist Rain_.

Purple flames bellowed and roared, as the disk met the corner of the shield being protected by the two headed-teen, spouting flames and waves of water in a painful dance between the elements. It drew the attention of all those in view of the marvelous display. Pouring all of the water chakra she had converted from the chakra she had allocated towards daily use and taken from Naruto's ridiculous Kage-level reserves, she poured it into the disk and the rotation speed increased, ripping open the majority of the corner.

Before the two-headed teen could react, Jiraiya had finished his hand signs. "_**Fire Style: Dragon Fire!**_"

The smell of roasting flesh and screams the teen let out were quickly silenced as the barrier fell and ANBU doused the flames before subduing him. The other members of the Sound 4 became engrossed in battle with the ANBU, while Jiraiya and Tsunade went to aid their sensei. When the stunned spectators looked to see who it was that released the attack that led to the barrier's decimation, they saw no one.

Kushina was nowhere in sight.

* * *

><p><em>With Chiyo<em>

"Not bad for one so young…" she said somewhat gleefully upon seeing the display of flames and waves collide from outside the Arena.

"But will you be able to seal Gaara should he transform?" she asked the empty space next to her, which was taken by Kushina when she landed next to the woman, breathing heavily and sweating. "I have a few soldier pills on me…"

"I bought a few of the extra Chakra Storage seals with me from Uzushio…" she huffed. "My son filled them a few months ago, before we left. I used one after helping to break the barrier."

"Then why are you so tired now?" she asked.

"I set up some things to help deal with those summonings…" Kushina pulled off the Chakra Storage seal patch she used and then slipped on another one to refill her reserves a second time.

"Oh?" Chiyo said slyly. "You have something that can outdo the Second's own technique?"

"I couldn't dispel it," she took a deep breath, "and I know that I can't defeat a Sannin in direct combat, so I left behind a chakra-heavy shadow clone. If the shadow clone touches him, it'll turn things around…"

Chiyo chuckled. "Well played. Now, let's get back to our original goal."

* * *

><p><em>With Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Sarutobi<em>

The moment Jiraiya roasted the member of the Sound 4 named Sakon, the barrier fell and the two Sannin leapt to their sensei's aid. Jiraiya delivered a _Flame Bullet_ to set the wood that Hishirama create ablaze with oil-laden fire. Tsunade delivered a devastating punch to her granduncle that knocked him into his brother and started healing the bleeding Sarutobi.

"Someone actually managed to break the Four Flames Formation…impressive." Orochimaru chuckled, silently calculating his odds. He still had the First and Second on his side and they were immortal until he released the summoning.

Orchimaru's eyes darted behind him, only to see nothing but a large rippling puddle created by Tobirama's jutsu. _Just my imagination…still this somewhat ruins my plans…_

The battle raged for minutes, as Jiraiya silently charged, aiming to kill his former teammate. However, he was intercepted the two Kages and forced to hold them off as Sarutobi did with earth and flame techniques. Tsunade was tending to her sensei, whose injuries were no longer life threatening, but still debilitating considering his age. It had been a long time since he needed to fight on that level.

Orochimaru tried to slip through the side and finish Sarutobi off with his elongated neck. He opened his mouth and exposed Kusanagi towards to the man…only for Tsunade to remind him that she was there and delivered a punch directly into his chin from below, and then a left straight into his nose, sending the blade and his head flying.

Pulling himself together, Orochimaru started making the seals to summon Manda. Tsunade was rushing in for another strike, but she wouldn't connect before Manda was called. Once the giant snake was unleashed, it would cause mass causalities, starting with the sleeping audience.

"Summo—" before Orochimaru could slam his hands down and summon Manda, an unfamiliar voice was heard.

"_**Chakra Chain: Emergence!**_" chains erupted from the rooftop behind the snake Sannin, binding his hands and torso. Orochimaru never finished his jutsu, as Tsunade released another strong punch, knocking the snake Sannin's head back so far that his elongated neck stretched before his body flew after it. He rotated in mid-flight and slid back on his feet, landing near a puddle created by Tobirama's water jutsu while the barrier was up….from which Kushina emerged using the _Hiding in the Water_ technique and extended her bleeding hands towards his body.

"Meddling—" Orochimaru sneered, motioning his fingers slightly as the woman made contact…and Kusanagi pierced her chest from behind, spraying a thin shower of blood onto the man's back.

"Contract…Seal…" Kushina's clone muttered, before vanishing in poof of smoke. From her blood-stained handprint, a sealing array etched itself onto his back.

_A Sealing Array…? What is th—_ the snake Sannin thought silently before he was drenched in a crude black rain, and a wooden half-dome emerged from behind him, only leaving on his front open.

"Water Style: Black Rain!" called the Tobirama Senju.

"Wood Style: Domed Wall!" called Hashirama Senju.

"WHAT—!" the fallen Sannin yelled. His summonings were attacking him!

"Toad Oil Bullet! / Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" Jiraiya and Sarutobi announced, landing in front of the brothers. "Hidden Collaboration Jutsu: _**Oil Dragon's Wooden Furnace!**_"

The pair breathed a dragonic stream of fire and oil that formed a demonic dragon's head, which flew into the makeshift oven. The oil combusted and the deafening roars of the crackling wood were heard, only being overtaken by the snake Sannin's screams of anguish as the flames poured in, until the half-dome was destroyed almost a second later.

From the ashen timbers, a white snake slithered out, trying to escape, until Tsunade fell from above with a punch that shattered the rooftop and collapsed it. From the dead snake's mouth Orochimaru emerged in his solid body once again, covered in a slimy liquid.

Contract Seal removed the control over the summonings from summoner. It was the same sealing technique she taught Minato, which broke the fox from the masked man's control. The Impure World Resurrection was a summoning, from one world to the next, and while it couldn't dispel the jutsu, it sealed off Orochimaru's command seals and gave them their free will back.

Leaving five very pissed off Kage-level shinobi and one injured, fallen Sannin.

"My jutsu has…been taken…away from me!" Orochimaru sneered wearily. Surviving a blazing furnace while being covered in two types of oil with no escape was neither easy, nor pleasant, and he was tired from the combination technique.

_Kushina was always quite a woman…_Jiraiya thought. _Those seals of hers are handy as hell. If I ever get on her good side again, I must study her clan's techniques…_

"To think my grandniece would still be so young after all this time…" Tobirama glanced over to Tsunade. "If it weren't for Sarutobi, I would have never guessed so much time has passed…"

"Forgive me if Jiraiya and I are the only ones out of the six of us who actually look our age," Sarutobi shot back.

"Hey, I still look good for being in my early 50's!" Jiraiya countered.

"Focus boys!" Tsunade snapped. "We've still got a snake to skin."

_This does not bode well…_Orochimaru reluctantly admitted to himself. He wasn't dumb enough to try and fight five Kage level enemies at once. He was confident in himself, but not suicidal or considered himself a god…yet.

Before the five could finish him off, several ANBU jumped towards the Kage-level shinobi and attacked. Orochimaru smirked, realizing that they were corpses being move by the _Dead Soul_ technique.

"Well done, Kabuto!" the fallen Sannin said, as the young man with a gray ponytail and glasses landed next to him, followed by the injured Sound 4 with the exception of Sakon, who had been detained. "Until next time!"

Orochimaru departed, with several squads of ANBU chasing after him. They wouldn't be able to catch him, but in his condition and with his Oto-nin being decimated by the Suna and Konoha forces, he wouldn't be making any moves against Konoha anytime soon.

"FUCK!" Jiraiya swore, placing the now-still corpse down gently. "He got away again!"

"Calm down, Jiraiya…" Sarutobi sighed. "Wrapping things up in the village comes first."

It was then they noticed the two previous Hokages' bodies had begun to fall apart, crumbling to dust. When Tsunade was getting ready to reach for them Tobirama held out his hand to stop her.

"It is fine," he smiled. "The technique is ending. Aside from sealing the souls of those resurrected or the summoner cancelling the technique, it will end the moment the souls find closure and return to where they belong. Once a soul returns to the pure lands, they cannot be resurrected again…we won't be troubling you again…"

"Seeing the village still going strong after our death, and to see my granddaughter survived this long…" Hashirama sighed in relief. "You've done well, Sarutobi…"

"I cannot take credit," Sarutobi himself smiled, while shedding a tear at his mentors. "The Will of Fire continues to burn strong."

"Well said…Farewell…" were the Senju brothers' final words, as they disappeared from the impure world. In the remaining dust was nothing but two corpses that belonged to the team Kabuto was a part of in the Chuunin Exams.

"Alright, I'll go tend to the injured after I finish treating sensei," Tsunade said after a moment of silent reflection. "Jiraiya, you—" her order was cut off by the appearance of the One-Tailed Raccoon Dog in the distance, howling at its awakening. "—deal with THAT!"

Before Jiraiya could move, a large number of chakra chains bounded the Bijuu and countless crimson blades of wind slashed the chakra demon, causing it to howl in pain, before vanishing not even a minute later. The two Sannin and their sensei stood there assessing what just happened, when Sarutobi recalled the chakra that washed over them during the wind attack.

"That was the Kyuubi's chakra…Naruto!" Sarutobi muttered, as Jiraiya took off on toad back.

* * *

><p><em>With the Konoha Genin<em>

A body flew back into a tree, and the cracking of wood and breaking bones signaled the end of a man's life as a shinobi, if not his life in general. Rock Lee ducked under the thrown kunai and advanced, having taken off his weights the moment the invasion had begun and the genjutsu upon him had been released by Neji Hyuuga.

The opposing Oto-nin was ready for the charge, with his kunai drawn, when an ink snake bound his hands and his rib cage met the set of fists that had been solidified through the efforts of hard work alone, shattering it and puncturing his vital organs. He fell down and didn't get back up.

"Thanks…Sai-san," Rock Lee huffed.

"Not a problem," Sai added, wiping the blood from the cut above his eye and preparing to draw his next attack…only for the world to become inverted and his fingers became stiff, the sound reaching their eyes placing them under a genjutsu.

The ringing stopped and the world was set in stone once again, as both boys found themselves staring at Neji, breathing heavily with his eyes activated and standing over a corpse whose chakra coils around his heart had been struck by a Gentle Fist strike. Bugs flew from inside the man's clothing and back to their host, Shino Aburame.

Lee, Sai, Shino and Neji were currently engaged in combat with a few Oto shinobi who had pursued the group chasing the sand sibling, and killed roughly half of them while sustaining injuries through rough team work alone. Lee and Neji were close-ranged fighters, and had to get close to deal with their enemies, while the Oto-nins were mid-to-long fighters. Sai and Shino created a distraction or opening, and with their speed, the two melee attackers rushed in for the kill.

The first two times it worked perfectly, the third time it was still effective, but after that last one, the rest seemed to pick up on the fact that they were being picked off by a few genin and decided to play smart, the leader of the remaining men deciding to pull out a certain gauntlet…

"Wha…" was the general words that came out of all parties collective mouths, as they became dizzy and tired, when the pink-haired Suna shinobi landed in front of them.

"Sleeping Mist," Chisaki exhaled, releasing a larger amount of light blue mist that lulled the genin into sleep since the gas affected their smaller bodies much faster. Since the Oto-nin leader was preparing to use the Melody Arm, she opened her fans and gathered wind chakra. "WIND STYLE: CAST NET!"

By the time Asuma Sarutobi, the jounin for the Ino-Shika-Cho combination of that generation, arrived…he found the four genin asleep, surrounded by the diced and sloppy remains of the Oto-nin attacking them.

Hinata, Sakura, Tenten, Sasuke, and Shikamaru, had also escaped the effects of the genjutsu that had been dropped onto the Arena and were sent to chase after the sand siblings, while their allies held back the oncoming Oto-nin units.

Tenten and Hinata had destroyed Kankuro's puppet and restrained him by Tenten firing her weapons at his hiding places with Hinata's bloodline helping, and Hinata showing exactly what happened when wood met her 8 Trigrams 32 Palms: Scarlet Version, not being affected by the poison since she had a slight immunity to the typical poison he used from her training with Anko. Maybe next time he'd try a more exotic poison like the Iwa-nin did.

Shikamaru had just finished binding Temari, while Sakura was tying her hands up and taking her fan. Sasuke was dealing with Gaara, who was using his sand to try and capture the genin who hurt him. The wound itself was insulting, and for the first time he felt pain.

The only reason he didn't transform was because he wanted kill the genin with his mother's sand. Eventually he spread the sand out like a wave, having sent some of it into the ground to churn the minerals and rocks below into more sand. It would swallow them all, siblings included…

"Sasuke-san! I need a flame!" Hinata called forming hand seals. "Fire Style: Mist Blaze Dance!"

He nodded and went through the seals for his family's coming of age technique. "Fire Style: Great Fireball!"

They exhaled and the flames met gas, creating a blaze which met the sand, barely slowing it down and being smothered. Both genin poured their remaining chakra into the attacking, hoping to hold it off somehow…when a fierce gale tore from behind them carrying branches and leaves like a storm, feeding the flames and causing them to flare up into an inferno. The inferno pushed back the now-molten sand before it was extinguished, cooling the excess sand into stone.

_What was that…_Sasuke thought, falling to his knees in exhaustion, half his body covered in markings after drawing power from his cursed seal.

_Who…?_ Hinata thought, barely supporting her body on the tree branch and too exhausted to keep her eyes active.

_**He's here. He's Here. HE'S HERE!**_ The voice inside Gaara roared. _**GIVE ME HIS BLOOD!**_

"You've come at last…" a demonic smile etched its way onto Gaara's normally stoic face. "Naruto Uzumaki!"

Arriving from behind them was Naruto Uzumaki, dressed in his black combat sandals and pants, his orange t-shirt exposed, and his unzipped light-blue hooded jacket flapping in the wind as he moved, proudly displaying the spiraling wave at the center. His gloved hands were making a familiar hand seal, and his mask was slid to the side of his face, allowing his determined eyes to be shown.

"Shadow Clone!" Naruto announced, forming twelve clones, leaving them behind as he charged forward into the sand Jinchuuriki. Gaara's sand flew towards the whirlpool Jinchuuriki, acting as his hands to give the incoming threat a deadly embrace.

"Naruto-kun—" Hinata yelled to tell him to stop, when two of his clones landed in front of her and Sasuke, picking them up, while the rest lined up and took a deep breath, compressing their chakra into their lungs.

"WIND STYLE: AIR BULLET!" Ten high-powered air bullets flew and impacted the sand, releasing the compressed air in a high pressure explosion that scattered the sand and created an opening.

"GAARA! I'M RIGHT HERE!" Naruto roared, as he pulled out the Nine-Tailed Fan and poured wind chakra into it, splitting the blade into nine and creating a chakra fan that he swung down. "WIND SCYTHE!"

A fierce gale roared with numerous invisible blades as sharp as knives. The gale barreled down on the red-haired shinobi of Suna and nicked at his Sand Armor, as the sheer force carried him backwards, only for his sand to cradle him and allowed him to land on the ground a small distance away. Gaara extended his arm, reaching out with his sand.

Tendrils lashed out. Naruto swung the fan down and poured chakra into it again, releasing another wall of wind that scattered the sand and rushed towards him. His sand compressed itself into a thick shell around him, impenetrable to the _Wind Scythe Jutsu_.

Naruto raised his right hand, only for the ten clones from before to land on both sides of him and inhale, gathering wind chakra-laced air next to their palms, in front of their mouths. "WIND STYLE: SPIRALING WIND BALL!" Dropping his hand and pointing two of his fingers forward he cried, "FIRE!"

The spiraling balls of wind were launched successively at the same general area, grinding the sand deeply at the general point of impact and breaking through the shell, forcing Gaara to abandon his defenses for the moment, at the cost of the clones using up their chakra in the attack.

Ever since Naruto heard about Gaara's powers, he wondered how to fight it efficiently. The way he controlled the sand was the same as saying that it was a part of his body, countless tiny hands. How does one fight an enemy that can control millions of tiny hands that could bind and constrict an enemy before killing them?

Heavy Artillery was the answer Naruto came up with. The _Wind Scythe Jutsu_ could be used against loose and wide-spread sand, but against the compacted shell it was worthless. _Spiraling Wind Ball Jutsu_ could penetrate if fired enough times in a short time frame, but the charging time was too slow. The _Air Bullet Jutsu_ released enough force on impact to scatter most of the attacks and prevent it from reforming fast enough to grab him. Using his clones to back him up, he could survive.

A smarter strategy would be to simply let the clones do the fighting while he hid, but the message wouldn't be sent if he didn't face Gaara head-on. So he made another ten clones, and shifted the Nine-Tailed Fan into its blade form before heading towards Gaara once again, navigating between the lashes of sand and air bullets, trying to cleave through his Sand Armor enough to hopefully injure him enough to add to his fatigue…

Sand burst from beneath the blonde. Gaara, using some of the sand he wielded to churn the stones underground, crudely made more. The sand wrapped around Naruto's body up to his head…

"SAND BURIAL!" and crushed him mercilessly, blood escaping his mouth….only for it pop. Gaara grunted in frustration as he failed to kill the original, which had pulled a substitution with it before he was caught.

_And to think I complained when mom had me constantly practice substitution with my shadow clones…_Naruto drew two of the special kunai Tenten made him and threw them. Once they were stopped by the sand, the kunai exploded and shrapnel littered Gaara's Sand Armor.

As he landed on a tree branch, he slipped, not noticing the fine grains that were scattered on it. The sand from below flew up towards him, and Naruto extended his hand towards a higher branch to the right…and a chakra chain shot out and tied itself around the branch.

_And now I can't complain about amount of time and clones I put into learning how to do this…_he thought, as he retracted the chain and pulled himself out of the way, before swing the fan with his other hand and scattering the incoming sand, which returned to Gaara.

"You…are…strong…" Gaara grinned manically, slowly being encroached by his sand. "By killing you…I CAN VALIDATE **MY EXISTENCE!**"

* * *

><p><em>With the Genin<em>

In the meantime, a short distance away, the two clones that grabbed Sasuke and Hinata dropped them off with the captured sand siblings and the other genin, who were torn between the clones and the battle that was going on in front of their eyes. He was somewhat careful with lowering Sasuke, considering what his mother said. Hinata, on the other hand…

"HINATA-CHAN! AIR! I NEED AIR!" the clone holding her yelled, struggling to breathe as the girl had him in a death grip of a hug…with his face somewhere it shouldn't have been. Realizing she was slowly suffocating the clone, she let him go and slipped into a more modest position.

"Naruto-kun, it's really you!" she smiled. "You're okay!"

The others were staring in some disbelief. The chances of a missing-nin showing up out of nowhere to save them against an unstable sand-wielder, while currently fighting on par with him, were nearly nonexistent. Then again, Naruto was dumb luck incarnate.

"Kinda…" the clone rubbed his head sheepishly. He looked over to Tenten, who was staring at his copy of the Nine-Tailed Fan. "Thanks for the kunais, by the way."

"As much as I hate to break this troublesome chain of events up…" _Knowing that Hinata will probably kill me for it later…_Shikamaru thought before turning to the boy. "What are you doing here, Naruto?"

"We had some business to take care of and it just so happen that the Chuunin Exams were here," the second clone said, stepping about a meter away from the group and placing a square slip of paper on the ground. "Is anyone hurt?"

"Not severely," Sakura answered, looking at Naruto closely. "I think Sasuke-kun and Hinata-chan are suffering from chakra exhaustion…" _He's changed somehow…_

"Oh yeah, speaking on the Chuunin Exams, way to kick ass Hinata-chan!" the first clone said. "You nailed Sakura like it was nothing—"

"Hey!" the pink-haired girl interrupted.

"—and I didn't know that you knew how to use a fire jutsu, let alone one that managed to push back that sand…even if it was with a little help from me and the emo."

"Loser…" said emo grunted. "If I weren't tired…"

The second clone rolled his eyes. "I'll go find the others. In the meantime…" he smacked his other self on the head. "Quit flirting and get ready!"

The second clone left and the first muttered a string of swearwords before turning to the sand siblings. "What about you two?"

"My puppet is kindling now, so the old hag is probably going to flip her lid…" Kankuro sighed. "I'll probably have to remake it…I think she has blueprints from the previous owner."

"I'm fine, with the exception of my pride…" Temari pouted. "Losing to this lazy bastard…" she tilted her head towards Shikamaru, who shrugged. "It looks like Gaara's lost control of himself…" she said somewhat sadly.

"What did you expect?" the clone said. "His seal isn't solid enough to stop the raccoon dog from influencing him. It doesn't help that his own brother and sister are afraid of him like he's a monster…"

The sand siblings looked at him in shock. "How the hell do you know about that?"

"Wait," Shikamaru scratched his head. "You mean he's…?"

"Hold on to that thought!" the clone activated the Jutsu Storage seal on the ground. Numerous chains emerged from the ground and formed a dome barrier, protecting the gathered genin from the ensuing maelstrom of broken wood and wind, as the battle picked up again. "This should hold for 5 minutes—" the clone received the memories a couple of slaughtered clones. "—and he's gone partial transformation…and can use his body like a slingshot."

The audience turned back to the fight.

Coming from the front, Naruto had leapt towards Gaara, his Nine-Tailed Fan in its blade form and streaming enough wind chakra that the blade itself was in the center of a three-inch outline of chakra. Gaara stretched his transformed arm out to strike him down, but it was cut through by the blade and left a moderate-sized gash on arm, causing him to howl monstrously.

"No way…" Temari muttered. "He's fighting and keeping with Gaara…even with demon inside him…"

"Demon…" Sakura muttered. "Then…"

The clone raised his shirt and sent chakra into his stomach, revealing a seal on it. "Exactly. Like. Me." He lowered his shirt. "When one Jinchuuriki goes rogue, short of a Kage, or a squad of jounin and ANBU, another usually has to deal with them."

"_**NARUTO UZUMAKIIIIIIII!**_" the partially transformed Jinchuuriki roared, the sand swallowing more and more of his body until the point where he was a miniature version of the Ichibi itself. He swung his arms and yelled "**SAND SHURIKEN,**" sending numerous clumps of sand at the blonde

"Well, since everyone is fine, I'll get going to inform the others and the original. Enjoy the show!" the clone said before vanished with a pop.

* * *

><p><em>With Naruto and Gaara<em>

When Gaara had turned into his partial transformation and put the tail and arm to good use in slaughtering him, Naruto started doing what he could to keep up. When he became a mini-Ichibi, that including having several dozen of his clones blast Gaara from all sides, cutting a few tree branches down to drop on the boy, and doing some direct damage with his chakra-conducting blade.

It had been quiet for a few seconds and he was tired and exhausted. Naruto was silently wondering if he had quelled the wrath of the sand Jinchuuriki…when said Jinchuuriki's arm extended from the pile of branches and grabbed him.

"SHIT!" Naruto swore as the sand completely enveloped him into a Sand Coffin. _Uh, fox, a little help here? Low on chakra…now would be good…_

"NARUTO-KUN!" Hinata screamed from inside the barrier.

"WAKE UP YOU STUPID FOX!" Naruto screamed, and the sand exploded outward. Surrounded by a crimson coat of chakra, his clothes shifting from the power, Naruto stared at Gaara. _That was closer than I liked…what the hell Kyuubi?_

"_**Hehehe…I just wanted to watch you squirm a little…**_" the fox chuckled from his mindscape.

"**Wind Style!**" Gaara announced in a distorted voice, bringing the focus back on him. Naruto summoned another clone next to him, and both flooded their fans with chakra. "_Wind Style!_"

"**SANDSTORM DEVISTATION**/CROSS GALES!" the boys roared, as the chakra-laden sand and wind met with the wind fangs, which ate into it and created some breathing room for Naruto. The other surviving clones attacked from above. "Wind Style: Air Bullet!"

The compressed shots rained down and ruptured, using all the chakra in the clones until they vanished. The blasts kicked up a storm of dirt and dust shrouding them from view. It seemed like the battle was over….

"_**RAAAAHHHHH!**_" a howl reached the heavens, as sand piled upon itself and took the form of a giant that dwarfed the tallest tree. Gaara had gone full Bijuu form, and was about to crush the blonde…when figure landed in front of the barrier that protected the genins, along with his clone.

"Naruto!" the red-haired woman yelled, chains erupting from her body and entangling the gigantic body with Gaara inside the center. He howled, unable to move, while Kushina was sweating from the struggling but refusing to yield. It needed more power, so Gaara emerged to the surface and he performed _Feigning Sleep Jutsu_.

"Wake him up—" Kushina yelled to the clone, as the awakened raccoon dog struggled even more. "You can use a single-tail!" she said, before the clone dispelled itself.

Naruto nodded, and the coat of chakra surrounding him expanded further into a cloak. Sprouting crimson ears, claws, and a tail of chakra, his whisker marks became more detailed, and his eyes and teeth became more fox-like. Cloaked in power, he growled softly.

The boy took feral stand and glared at full grown Bijuu. Gathering chakra into his legs, it exploded from beneath him, shattering the tall tree he was on in order to rocket him into the air and higher than the Bijuu itself.

"**FERAL WIND STYLE**—" the chakra fan drunk deeply the chakra of the cloak and became the size of large a building. Putting nearly everything into the strike, Naruto howled. "**CRIMSON GALE CLAWS!**"

The sky howled, as it was ripped apart by thousands of crimson claws that existed in a wall of air that was laced with the crimson chakra of the fox. The claws tore at the Bijuu's body, ripping and gouging out chunks of it. Naruto's cloak vanished, having used all of it damage the Bijuu.

"Shadow Clone!" he created a final clone and used it to sling shot himself at the still sleeping Gaara's head. "Wake up!" he yelled, cocking back his fist and nailing the slumbering Jinchuuriki in the head.

Gaara looked at him with a death glare, using the sand that made up Bijuu's body, he entrapped Naruto's right arm and legs, getting ready to completely swallow him. Naruto tilted his head back and bought it down, straight into Gaara's, whose eyes rolled back into his head, and the Bijuu's body cracked apart with him as the epicenter.

They two containers fell to the earth, only to be caught by Kushina's chains and lowered.

_That insane amount of chakra…_Tenten looked at the area around where the attack was unleashed. It was nothing but a section of carved and flattened wood and broken branches. She then focused on the Nine-Tailed Fan. _His weapon managed to stream enough of that weird chakra and wind chakra to cause that kind of damage…?_

_So that's what a fight between Jinchuuriki goes like…_Sasuke shivered. _Such power…._

_He…beat Gaara…_Temari stared in shock. _Even in his full form?_

_Impossible…_Kankuro's gaped at having witnessed the battle.

"Ugh…gh…" Gaara moaned, reaching his hand out weakly towards the blonde. "Have…to…"

"That's enough," the blonde rubbed his head, while lying on the ground. "Proving your existence by killing…won't ease the pain…"

"What do you…know of…my pain?" Gaara wheezed.

"I know enough…" Naruto said. "I was kicked out of my orphanage at only 7, simply because everyone hated me because of something that was beyond my control…" Tears began to fall from Naruto's face, as he recalled his past.

The barrier slowly receded, as Chisaki blew a subtle amount of the sleeping gas from her technique over the genin, hidden from sight. The only realized they were being doused when they found themselves dizzy and unable to move.

"To be beaten, robbed, and mobbed nearly every day…to be hated…only being able to keep a grip on the hatred deep inside of me by masking my pain with fake smiles that hardly anyone even bothered to look past…to try to even understand or get to know me…"

Naruto was unaware of the other genin listening to his tale, being on the edge of reality and the sea of unconsciousness. Each one recalled incidences where the boy came to the Academy injured or hungry, where their peers would tell them to stay away from him for no real reason. Yet, they turned a blind eye for one reason or another…

_Naruto-kun…_Hinata thought, having lost the ability to form words as the mist over took her.

_It was that bad huh…troublesome…_Shikamaru thought, in the same boat as Hinata.

"Only having a handful of people to support me, out of a village of people who would sooner let the one they call a demon die than lend a hand to a miserable child…until they eventually tried to kill me directly…never once did I fight back for my own sake, laughing off the pain, and dreaming of becoming the Hokage…protecting those who helped me and being accepted one day…"

_How…could he stand it?_ Sasuke wondered. _Why didn't seek revenge…with that power…_

_All that time…_Sakura recalled all the times she hurt him, berated him, compared him to Sasuke, and the lecture Hinata gave her half a year ago. _I…I'm a horrible person…_

"But what if they never accept you…" Gaara droned wearily.

"I won't give up…" Naruto coughed. "Even if I can't become the Hokage, I won't give up protecting those precious to me…even if Konoha won't accept me, it's not the only place I'll…call…home…" he trailed off, finally passing out from exhaustion.

"Never…giving…up…" Gaara too, entered the realm of unconsciousness.

The genin also lost themselves to the sleeping mist, as Chiyo tended to their injuries in secret. Kushina saw the marks on Sasuke's body retreating into the seal on his neck and made a mental note to have Sarutobi tell her about it. The _Evil Sealing Method_ wasn't bad, but it didn't seem to be able to completely repress the mark…

"I've finished treating these young ones…" Chiyo said. "We should leave. One of the chakra threads I set up as an alarm has been tripped."

Chisaki grabbed the sand siblings, while Chiyo grabbed Temari's fan, and Kushina reached Gaara and Naruto, gently petting their heads. _They've had such horrible lives…_she thought, before lifting them and taking off with Chiyo and Chisaki.

Jiraiya and a few ANBU landed 10 minutes later to find the sleeping genin and took them back.

* * *

><p><em>With Kushina's Party<em>

In the center of an endless desert, was a single rocky structure. It had bars of stone that were being eroded by the desert wind, and in front of the rough, rock face was the only section of desert that had a small semblance of color and life: an oasis the size of a pool with the greenery spread out and the size of a small lawn.

"Where am I? I had lost my battle to Uzumaki and…" Gaara trailed off, as he barely noticed a feminine hand, made of loose sand, rubbing his cheek ever so gently. "Mother…?"

"!" a howl came from the darkness beyond the bars, and a monstrous hand reached for the boy. The gentle sand took the loose form of a woman, so thin she was transparent. There was no way she could completely stop the hand…

Chains appeared from behind the boy, binding the hand. Gaara turned to notice a certain nine-tailed fox on a leash of sorts, being accompanied by a red haired woman, and a grinning blonde. "Sorry we're late. I had to tune the seal from the outside before I could get in."

"Naruto Uzumaki…?" he mumbled. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I told you before, we're here to help you," the blonde smiled. "And drop the last name, Naruto is fine."

"_**Shukaku…**_" the Kyuubi snorted. "_**How did it feel to get bested by a kit in your full form?**_"

"_**KURAMA!**_" the imprisoned raccoon dog roared. "_**I WILL HAVE YOUR BLOOD!**_"

"You two have met before?" Kushina raised an eyebrow, planting the fox's leash into the sand like an anchor point.

"_**Shukaku and I, as well as all the others, have the same father…**_" Kurama shrugged.

"So…" Naruto looked up to the fox. "Your name is Kurama? I thought it was the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox?"

"_**Only because you humans never bothered to attempt to learn it,**_" Kurama huffed. "_**You pathetic humans see us as mere mindless masses of anger and malevolence, never acknowledging us as individuals; you use us as tools of war and weapons.**_"

"I'll admit that I'm guilty of that as well…" Kushina said silently, while examining the prison holding Shukaku, ignoring his ramblings as best he could. _That's odd…the way this seal works, he shouldn't be able to use the sand shield...wait…_

Kushina looked over to the fox. "Kyuu—I mean Kurama, did Shukaku have that sand shield thing the last time you met?" Kurama shook his head. "Interesting…Gaara's seal is more like Naruto's in that aspect…"

"Huh?" Naruto tilted his head. "How?"

"There's another chakra inside of the seal, like mine was inside you…or rather its part of him. By all means, Gaara should be even worse off than he is now from where I'm standing. Look at these bars; they're so weak Shukaku should've smashed through them by now."

At the bars were glittering bits of sand, acting as a filter of sorts for the demon chakra. "This other chakra is what's holding the seal together at this point, and the source of his control over that sand shield, so if I fix the seal it should be able to divert more power to it and it'll regain some sentience, but it has to be done slowly to adjust for growth, so over the course of a few years…" she trailed off, as she tampered with Shukaku's prison.

Naruto and Gaara chatted about small things while sitting at the oasis, while Kushina was working, and Kurama was mocking Shukaku, who was arguing back. Both failed to see the growing tick mark on her head, until…

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT IT WHILE I'M WORKING!" she yelled, her chains emerging and binding the two from all angles, while her hair split into nine segments.

"Your mother is terrifying…" Gaara droned, watching the woman put both the raccoon dog and fox in their places with her chains, only for Naruto to nod in agreement. After what seemed like an hour passed in the mindscape Kushina walked over to them.

The oasis was much larger, a testament to the improvement of the seal. The greenery was healthier and seemed like it was flourishing to the point a few cacti were blooming. Shukaku's rock prison become more chiseled and defined, with smaller, cross-shaped bars instead of the long ones with a wide gap.

"Gaara," Kushina handed him a stack of files. "These are copies on the reports that I memorized, about your father's orders for having you assassinated…including your uncle. Chiyo-sama will tell you more when you return to reality and—"

"_**HEY! TURN THIS THING BACK TO NORMAL!**_" Shukaku roared, banging at the improved cage wall. Kushina snapped her fingers and the bars expanded, leaving less open space and left what could only be considered air holes.

"Get you act together Shukaku and maybe I'll consider it. If I have to come back here because you start acting up, I'll make it worse than Kurama's last prison!" she told the raccoon dog, like it was a child.

"_**I wouldn't mind seeing that done**_," Kurama chuckled. Though he loathed admitting it, the woman was the strongest being when inside a sealed mindscape.

"ANYWAY," she turned to the boy. "Your seal is fixed so you should be able to get a good night's rest without the loud mouth gnawing at your head or making you so bloodthirsty. I'll be checking in with Chiyo-sama, so I'd better not hear you threatening to kill someone for little things…and be nice to your siblings…or else…" she left the threat hanging in the air.

Considering the woman made Shukaku and Kurama heel, it was safe to say he nodded. As Naruto and Kushina walked over to the fox and prepared to leave, they noticed the sand in the loose form a woman waving at them next to Gaara, before embracing him. Kushina recognized that as a mother's embrace and smiled.

* * *

><p><em>Back in Reality<em>

"The seal is set," Kushina said, returning from the mindscape to reality after only a few minutes. The seal on Gaara looked more detailed than before, and a peaceful look was on his sleeping face.

"You have my thanks," Chiyo nodded politely. "When the time comes, you'll have my support in restoring your village."

"Thank you, Chiyo-sama." Kushina smiled, giving the older woman a contact scroll.

"There's not much time, and it will be too risky for you to return to Suna at the moment," Chiyo sighed. "Considering that the boy is the Jinchuuriki of this village, they'll mobilize ANBU soon to find him.

Kushina looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh please child," Chiyo chuckled. "From the whispers of _the demon of the village being missing _and how we met, I figured it out and couldn't care less. I'll take care of your scent so the Inuzuka Clan can't track you, but your best bet is to leave the Land of Fire soon. Keep practicing your _Mystic Palm_ and _Chakra Threads_ as well, they still need work."

"Alright," Kushina bowed her head in respect and placed her son on her back, creating several shadow clones that took off in various directions as a precaution, while she went jumping through the trees to the north. After what seemed like hours, Naruto finally woke up to see his mother's red hair.

"Mom," Naruto said, still tired. "Where are we going? What happened to everyone?"

"Naruto, you've woken up!" Kushina shot him a warm smile. "You did wonderfully. Your father would be proud of how you did. By now those kids should be back in the village."

"Are we going back to Uzushio now?" he asked.

"Not right now," she told him. "We need to stay away from the Land of Fire for the moment and they'll check the Land of Rivers and probably the Land of Wind for you. So we'll take the long way and go to Taki to rest and restore our supplies, and then we'll go along the north border through the Land of Sound to the end of the Land of Hot Water, and catch a boat."

"Long trip…" he mumbled.

"I know, but we still need more connections in order to restore Uzushio, and that includes restoring the entire Land of Whirlpools as a whole. Since it was attacked so many years ago, it had been abandoned and doesn't have a daimyo or village. So we'll take things easy: change our names and appearances again, travel around slowly for two or so months to earn finances, and then head to another major village…Kiri would probably best for now since it would be the furthest away from the Konoha and the Land of Fire."

Naruto mumbled incoherently before falling back asleep.

* * *

><p><em>A Few Days Later – Village Council Room<em>

The subject of Suna's betrayal and reparations had taken many hours to resolve. Considering that they were planning to unleash a Bijuu upon the village, it rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.

However, because of the involvement of Orochimaru, it was partly their faults since he was a missing-nin from Konoha. Unable to deny this claim, it was decided that since the Bijuu did not cause extensive damage to the village, they would pay reparations and be closely monitored.

Sarutobi had come to an agreement with the current council of Suna to have the Daimyo of the Land of Fire speak with the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. Part of the reason the attack was planned was because the Kazekage had antagonized their Daimyo, so he reduced funding to the village and outsourced missions to Konoha. While the Kazekage was no saint, the Daimyo was known for being less than admirable, and considering all the facts, he would most likely be replaced soon…

The Chuunin Exams were of course canceled, which angered a few more people. However, as the numbers of participants were low and all from Konoha or Suna, it could have caused a major political issue after what just happened. That left the matter of the fact that Naruto was involved in the battle as the main topic…

"THE DEMON HAS RETURNED TO DESTROY THE VILLAGE AND MUST BE KILLED!" was the typical response from the members of the civilian council. Despite the genin stating that Naruto did not attack and even protected them in their reports, it was clear that they didn't care.

"ENOUGH!" Sarutobi said, flaring his killing intent towards the council. Considering Jiraiya's hands were bleeding from clenching his fist, it was for the best. "For the last damn time, we will not kill the boy when he has done nothing wrong!"

"Agreed," Danzo surprisingly spoke up as well. "These meaning cries for the lynching of the boy are unacceptable. Now, as this relates to shinobi matters alone, all civilian council members should take their leave. Now."

After the civilian council was booted out, everyone's eyes were on Danzo.

Danzo was, for all intensive purposes, a war hawk that attempted to pass radical movements to improve the village's military strength. He's been surprising inactive for the last few days and in a slightly upset mood…since the bugs he placed in the Hokage's office were fried because of Kushina's seal. Plus, he couldn't place new ones since they were automatically overwritten by the hidden seal.

"I am surprised you spoke in the boy's defense," Sarutobi admitted to his old rival.

"The boy is a valuable military asset," Danzo simply stated. "Having him driven out of the village was bad enough since it left us vulnerable to another Jinchuuriki, one who according to these reports suffered a similar past. I've warned you Hiruzen that you shouldn't have been lenient of those who attacked Uzumaki in the past. We've seen the end result on this Gaara's stability and where it led to when such things go unpunished."

Danzo continued. "If the boy hadn't shown up by some…coincidence, there would have been irreparable damage to the village. The fact that he managed to show control of the chakra of the fox further proves he must be recovered and we should allocate more resources towards doing so. The only decent outcome of this whole fiasco is that we know the boy is alive, the fact that his presence here was known means that as far as the other countries know we still have him in our ranks, and the significantly lower number of casualties of our shinobi made it clear that we are not to be trifled with."

"Point made," Sarutobi nodded. As much as they didn't see eye to eye on things, it would have been a nightmare if Naruto and Kushina weren't there. "Nara-san, can you begin the report summary, to be safe?"

Shikaku Nara, head of the Nara Clan, nodded. "According to the reports, Naruto Uzumaki was assisted by a mysterious red-haired woman in a fox mask, who was identified by Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the Hokage, as well as ANBU present, that she was the same person whose shadow clone performing the sealing jutsu on Orochimaru, which released the First and Second. After Uzumaki had defeated Gaara of the Desert, using the fox's chakra, the woman somehow grabbed them both, and the sand siblings, and fled. Gaara of the Desert and his siblings were found by Chiyo of Suna unharmed, although they report that his seal has been reinforced and he should regain mental stability.

"The genin who had been sealed inside some sort of barrier ninjutsu to keep them safe by Naruto's shadow clones were subdued by sleeping gas before they could react, with signs of medical ninjutsu being used for their injuries, and so far there have been no traces of the pair. The Inuzuka Clan and ANBU searched for some trace of them, but to woman's scent was everywhere using the same tactic six months ago, while her and Uzumaki's scents were missing."

"Naruto Uzumaki is a missing-nin…and while I am curious why he returned, how did he manage to slip into the village? Was it possible someone was hiding him here the entire time?" Inoichi Yamanaka, head of the Yamanaka clan, asked.

"No," Kakashi sighed. "We checked everywhere in the village. Considering that one of the genin identified the weapon Naruto-kun used as belonging to another person, it is safe to assume he was disguised the entire time."

"In the report it mentions that he told the girl that his 'mother' was a seal master while he was in disguise…but wasn't she…" Choza Akimichi, head of the Akimichi trailed off, not wanting to mention what all those who knew of his heritage were all thinking…the name automatically bought up the image of a woman from their age group.

"No, it couldn't be her…their remains were cremated after what happened. However, the woman with him was most likely from the Uzumaki Clan due to the hair color and the use of seals." Sarutobi defended.

"The Uzumaki were closely related to Konoha's Senju clan," Asuma held his chin as he recalled his father's lectures in the past. "They typically have red hair, long lifespans, high chakra reserves, and were feared seal masters. We carry their village symbol on our flak jackets as a show of respect. But during the war, when were unable to assist, didn't their clan get destroyed?"

"Yes, but they were scattered around the world after their village was destroyed. I ran into a boy during my time in Ame, whose family had been killed accidently by shinobi from Konoha, who was a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan. It is possible that while Naruto was escaping, he found a few survivors and they took him in because of his last name, and considering he never had a mother figure in the village…" Jiraiya pointed out.

They all mumbled somewhat that he had a point.

"But if the traditional hair color of the Uzumaki clan is red, why does the child not have those attributes, and why was he not treated as a clan heir like Uchiha?" Kurenai asked, making a very valid point.

Tsunade, Sarutobi, and Jiraiya shot each other a glance, before Tsunade rolled her eyes and spoke. "Naruto's heritage is a secret that's ranked higher than the fact that he's a Jinchuuriki, and that's as far as we'll go into his genetics. As for the clan status, well considering that the majority of the civilian council was calling for his death…you get it."

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Sarutobi knew that if they withheld too much information that it could cause problems, so they gave them information that was partially correct. Kushina was technically a survivor when she was alive, her remains and Minato's were cremated when they found the bodies, and Jiraiya did meet Nagato before he supposedly died in the civil war. Scattered survivors from dead clans popped up every now and then, so it wasn't too hard to believe.

"Either way," Danzo cut in. "We need to scour the entire Land of Fire to find the child, and this woman who aided him. A surviving member of the Uzumaki Clan with knowledge of their techniques, longevity, and capable of holding down a Bijuu, is a boon that we should capitalize on as well. I'll expect you to at least send ANBU to search for them."

Jiraiya stepped forward. "I'll start searching for them on my end as well. I've already picked up their aliases and current descriptions and sent the information along my spy network. I was planning to leave soon anyway to see if I can find Orochimaru and Kabuto in the Land of Sound."

"Will you be alright alone, Jiraiya?" Sarutobi asked. "If Orochimaru is there…"

He nodded. "Since princess here," he pointed to Tsunade, "is going to spend some time and helping at the hospital, I'll go by myself. If things go bad, I can summon the Elders and use Sage Mode…"

The meeting went on for another three hours after that, before everyone decided to get some sleep.

* * *

><p><em>At Anko and Hinata's Apartment<em>

_Naruto-kun…_Hinata sighed in content at seeing him again. He had gotten so much stronger and braver.

"So," Anko said, stepping out of the shower once again, "I heard that the brat showed up and fought that other Jinchuuriki."

She smiled devilishly. "I heard you nearly smothered him. I bet he was happy when those memories went back to the original. He'll probably sneak back into the village just to get another taste."

Hinata blushed heavily.

"Then again, I heard he spent a few hours alone with that weapon girl…he might like them on the small side…you might need to step it up a bit and flash some more skin…"

"Anko-sensei…" Hinata pouted. "Please stop teasing me…"

"Hehehe…" she sat down on the bed next to her. "I'm just a bit happy. When I whispered to Iruka that the brat was here, he let down his guard in his excitement and I finally jumped him! Too bad, the man knew some barrier ninjutsu, but there's always next time…I do like it when they put up a fight and his blood was good…"

* * *

><p><em>The Next Day at the Hokage's Office<em>

Hinata, Teuchi, Ayame, and Iruka had been called to the Hokage's office, and Sarutobi had activated the seal that Kushina gave him, hidden from sight so that no one got any wise ideas.

"H-Hokage-sama," Iruka stuttered, nursing a bandage on his cheek from Anko last night. "Is it true? That Naruto was in the village!"

Sarutobi smiled. "Yes, he was here during the Chuunin Exams and fought Suna's Jinchuuriki, as I'm sure the rumors have spread to the point that my grandson heard before I even had time to get breakfast into my stomach."

He pulled out several letters from his desk. "This is to be kept as an A-rank secret, but the person assisting Naruto slipped these letters from the boy into my mailbox sometime during the invasion, and I have inspected them personally," he lied. He couldn't risk telling them something that could draw attention or be checked easily, and Kushina had contacted him one-way with the contract scroll, saying that she was changing their appearances since she figured they'd put two and two together.

The woman didn't keep Minato in his place through cooking and temper tantrums alone…

"They're addressed to all of us, with him apologizing for running off and saying he's fine, but giving no details of where he was and where he's going…although Teuchi-san, he mentioned that the ramen you made was delicious and sorry about eating that day's supplies..." Teuchi and Ayame's eyes went wide when they realized who he was.

Sarutobi had truthfully been brought to tears when he read the note addressed to him last night. The boy was like a second grandson to him, and when Konohamaru heard that he was alright, he finally smiled. Although he said he planned to train three times as much to make him stay next time and Sarutobi had to tell Ebisu to keep watching him.

When Hinata read her letter about Naruto thanking her for protecting him that day and apologizing about her family, she couldn't help but cry smiling. Iruka's, Ayame's, and Teuchi's were about the same. He thanked him for watching over him and taking care of him and he hoped they regain the passion they lost…he also mentioned about rumors that some snake woman was gunning for Iruka and to watch out.

_A little late for that though…_Iruka chuckled.

"Where did Naruto-kun go?" Hinata asked.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. Kushina refused to tell him when she contacted him. "Jiraiya will be searching for him so it'll only be a matter of time, but the boy is being taken care of at least."

After memorizing the letters, they burned them to ensure his safety.

* * *

><p><em>Elsewhere in Konoha<em>

A figure looked on at the village he abandoned, dressed in a black cloak with red clouds. His failing eye sight still looking at a person that he had begged someone he trusted to watch over. Both were alive and healthy, meaning that his visit held no purpose other than idle curiosity.

"Itachi…" a shark-like man approached him. "It seems like there was a fight between the Nine-Tails and One-Tail containers a few days ago…" he smirked, exposing a row of sharp teeth. "The one-tail is in Suna and the nine-tails is missing…should we go after him?"

Itachi closed his eyes. "…No, we've learned their identities, and considering that he's a missing-nin who avoided ANBU for half a year, only to reappear and then vanish, finding him will be difficult at the moment. Besides, we have other matters to attend to instead of jumping ahead."

He turned his back on the village. "We don't move until things are ready…"

* * *

><p><em>Somewhere between the border of the Land of Fire and Taki<em>

"Mom," Naruto called. "There's a girl injured here!"

Lying on the ground, covered in bleeding cuts and minor injuries, was a teenage girl with red hair and a scratched forehead protector that had a shuriken on it. Next to her was a Demon Wind Shuriken, and she had a death grip on a scroll case that had the Uzumaki spiral symbol on it.

* * *

><p><em>Canon Jutsu:<em>

Fire Style: Flame Bullet – A C-Rank technique done by the user gathering oil in their mouths and then spitting it out and igniting. (Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger)

Body Shedding – Orochimaru's personal body replacement technique, he uses a large amount of chakra to shed his skin, regurgitating a new body from the mouth and regenerate all wounds.

Fire Style: Dragon Fire – A C-Rank technique that creates a small stream of fire to target the enemy, usually conducted through a line.

Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet – A B-rank technique that creates a dragon-like flame that can more according to the users will, turning the enemy to ashes in seconds. (Ram-Horse-Snake-Dragon-Rat-Ox-Tiger)

Toad Oil Bullet – User gathers chakra into their mouth and converts it into oil to spit out a stick substance that ordinary water can't wash away. When combined with another Fire jutsu, the enemy will instantly burn.

Contract Seal - Releases a summoning from the summoner's control, only blood and contact is needed.

Wood Style: Domed Wall – Forms thick wooden pillars into the shape of a dome or half-dome, and can be collapsed or burnt with enemy inside. (Rat-Dog-Tiger)

Water Style: Black Rain – Creates a flammable black cloud that disperses over the enemy like rain. (Ram-Snake-Tiger)

Dead Soul – A B-rank technique that reanimates a corpse, using chakra to make the heart beat once more.

Summoning: Impure World Resurrection – A forbidden S-rank jutsu that can bring back the dead using human sacrifice, it will not end unless certain conditions are met and is unaffected by the death of the user. (Tiger-Snake-Dog-Dragon-Clap Hands)

Hidden Art: Mist Rain – A technique used by Kiri Hunter-nins that eats away at chakra that doesn't have the same signature as the user. (Ram-Dog-Rat)

Shuriken Shadow Clone - An A-rank technique that applies the shadow clone jutsu onto shuriken, turning one into many and making it all but impossible to dodge, only block, it was created by Hiruzen Sarutobi. (Ram-Rat-Bird-Boar-Tiger)

Wind Style: Sandstorm Devastation – Gaara's version of Wind Style: Devastation, which merges the jutsu with chakra-laden sand.

Sand Shuriken: Gaara swings his arm while transformed fires numerous clumps of sand using the force.

Sand Coffin: Sand wraps around the opponent's body and can cause suffocation, if completely wrapped.

Sand Burial: Used after a Sand Coffin, he crushes the body inside the sand. Death is instant and painless according to Gaara.

Feigning Sleep – A technique that makes the user fall asleep. (Ram)

Mystic Palm – An A-ranked healing technique that uses chakra to speed up the healing process. The amount of chakra used must match the injury; otherwise it can over take the normal rate and cause a comatose state. (Modified Ox-Tiger)

Chakra Threads – Creates threads of chakra that can be compressed to the point of being near invisible by a skilled enough user. Mostly used by puppeteers.

_Non-Canon Jutsu:_

Hidden Collaboration Jutsu: Oil Dragon's Wooden Furnace – A collaboration jutsu that seals all the exits for an opponent after dousing them in oil and firing a huge, intense flame jutsu that is shaped into a dragon's head.

Uzumaki Hidden Art: Whirlpool Saw – Using the circular chakra saw and merging it with water chakra, it can cleave its way through an enemy technique depending on the amount of chakra used.

Sleeping Mist – The user gathers air in their lungs and converts it using chakra into a blue mist that causes drowsiness.

Feral Wind Style: Crimson Gale Claws – Using both wind chakra and demon chakra, Naruto expands the size of his fan while in a cloaked form unleashes a wave of wind blades inside a large gust.

* * *

><p><em>Notes:<em>

Okay, the reason the Chuunin Exams are…short, is because Naruto isn't in them and they aren't the focus of this chapter, and I have a new Chuunin Exam planned later in a country I haven't decided on yet…I'm thinking Kiri. I'm not actively Sakura bashing this chapter either, just pointing out she was fairly useless in Part I and she needed more motivation, which just so happen to have been in this chapter via complete beat down.

As for Danzo, he does what he believes is best for the village and abusing the container of a huge chakra demon is neither pragmatic nor sane. He may be one of the more morally absent characters, but he's at least rational.

The next few chapters will hopefully cover the traveling around, recruiting some people. I have an OC from the Fuuma Clan (Demon Wind Clan), Sasame of the Fuuma Clan (From the Land of Sound), and Isaribi (Land of Sea). These will form the first 4-man team for the Uzushio.

If you have any filler characters that you think would be a great addition to the story, let me know by leaving a comment on my main website, under the fanfiction section, ASN Naruto.

Naruto's Wind Jutsu List:

Air Bullet (Learned in Uzushio)

Spiraling Wind Ball (Learned in Uzushio)

Wind Scythe (Learned in Suna & requires Fan)

Cross Gale (Learned in Suna)

Crimson Gale Claws (Requires a cloak and Fan)


	7. Chapter 5: Protect the Waterfall Village

Advent of the Spiraling Ninja

Chapter 5: Protect the Waterfall Village

"Mom," Naruto called. "There's a girl injured here!"

Lying on the ground and covered in bleeding cuts and minor injuries, was a teenage girl with red hair and a scratched forehead protector that had a shuriken outline on it. Next to her was a Demon Wind Shuriken, and she had a death grip on a scroll case that had the Uzumaki spiral symbol on it.

"Are you alright?" Kushina asked the barely conscious girl. "Get the storage scroll with all the medical supplies," she yelled to Naruto, before turning her attention back to the girl. "You're going to be alright! What's your name?"

"Hisako…of…Fuuma," she huffed, before losing consciousness.

Kushina worked on tending to the girl's injuries with the first aid she learned in her previous life and studying under Chiyo, only using her _Mystic Palm_ technique when she thought that it wouldn't be too risky to do so. Kushina could tend to the minor injuries, and she patched up some of the major ones, but the girl required professional help as soon as it was safe to move her again.

Using her shadow clones to multitask, Kushina had one out to look for Hisako in the Unofficial Bingo book. Injuries like these and a forehead protector meant that this was the result of a battle between shinobi. Sure enough, she found her in it.

* * *

><p><em>Konoha<em>

There had been numerous meetings between the Konoha 11 and various parties regarding Naruto's return before things got back to their normal pace and training resumed amongst the genin.

"I told you…" Tenten nervously chuckled. "I admit I took him into my room, but nothing happened! We just talked about seals and weapons! Honestly!"

"Really…?" Hinata asked politely. She didn't want to confront the girl, but Anko's words dug into her even deeper insecurities until she just had to.

Unfortunately, after the beating she gave Sakura, and the first joint training, the others got nervous when something involved Hinata, Naruto, and another girl. Speaking of said victim and beating, both Tsunade and Kurenai agreed help train her…mostly out of pity, but it was a start. Medic and genjutsu specialists were hard to come by, and her control would be well suited.

"I can't believe you guys left me, Ino, and Chouji asleep! What the hell man?" Kiba roared, getting a nod from the other two. "Now you're telling the dead last came back like a badass, rescued Sasuke and Hinata, and swatted a huge monster like a flea before taking off!"

"Why would a missing-nin come back to assist the village he ran from?" Sai wondered. "Given what we've learned of his past, it would be less confusing if he were to attempt to destroy the village instead."

"Indeed," Shino added. "It is somewhat illogical…"

"It is a shame that I could not have met this Naruto-san," Lee mentioned while he stretched. "His Flames of Youth must have been burning greatly to face such an opponent. Although your flames seem to be smoldering, Sasuke-san…"

"It's nothing…" Sasuke grumbled.

In truth, Sasuke realized that his basic skills, and the Sharingan he got from the run in with Zabuza weren't going to be enough anymore. It was probably just dumb luck that Gato had been killed, so they assumed that Zabuza left the bridge builder alone since Kakashi said he was a professional. Dealing with the bandits was tiresome, but eventually some of the words Kakashi said to the boy, Inari, managed to motivate him into riling the villagers to fight back and drove them off.

Witnessing one of the teams get slaughtered by Gaara in the Forest of Death made him realized he needed to be faster to escape the sand. So after remembering he witnessed having his butt handed to him by Lee before the first portion of the exam with his eyes activated, he and Kakashi built up his speed during the free month. It helped during the match and he got in a decent shot, but his reach was too short and if he made a single mistake he would've been killed.

Gaara being a Jinchuuriki was a convenient excuse for him losing in terms of power during the battle in the forest. He imagined if it didn't come with the insanity Gaara had, and the terrible life they both had, he'd have wished he had that kind of power. Still, when the dead last of the year appears out of nowhere and spends most of the fight without calling on his Bijuu's powers until the end, when he faced off against a nearly full-powered Bijuu, it was still a kick in the groin.

_The loser didn't fight randomly either, he thought things through and clearly had a plan. Whatever poor skills he had in the Academy were polished from being a rough stone to a valuable sapphire. He had to have been on the run all that time, or hiding somewhere and training. If the loser got those kinds of results, then I'm clearly not pushing myself hard enough…_Sasuke thought.

After this training session was finished, he would have to talk to Kakashi about getting one of those chakra-conducting blades…having a sword of lightning would probably be a good thing in the long run.

* * *

><p><em>A Few Hours Later with Kushina<em>

Hisako awoke to find herself covered in bandages, a dull pain coming fromthe injuries she sustained from her pursuers. She tried to get up, but she couldn't move her arms or legs well enough to raise them very high. That was when she noticed the woman next to her, in front of a fire.

"You can't move properly because of the 6-Point Binding seal I've placed on you," Kushina said, pointing to the seal slips on her hands, feet, head, and chest. "Until I know I can trust that you won't do anything to my son, they'll stay there."

"I haven't—" she started, to try to defend herself, but Kushina showed her the Unofficial Bingo Book.

"Hisako of Fuuma," Kushina pointed to her name and information in the book. "C-rank missing-nin of four months, wanted for stealing a forbidden scroll from her clan and killing her allies."

"THAT'S A LIE!" she screamed in defense. "That scroll was Pops! They killed him for it and tried to kill me to get it!"

"This one?" Kushina showed her the scroll case.

"That's mine!" Hisako growled, trying to reach for it, but being unable to because of the bindings.

"Calm down," Kushina sighed. "You'll reopen your wounds if you keep yelling. I'm not going to take it from you. I just noticed the emblem on it, which belongs to the Uzumaki Clan. If you answer my questions, I'll give it back and let you go unharmed after we get to a village to deal with your injuries, okay?"

Hisako nodded and Kushina placed a seal slip on the back of her hand. "Answer my questions truthfully and don't lie, otherwise it will turn red and I'll set the bindings to a higher level. My first question is what really happened to get you in the Bingo Book?"

Hisako sighed. "I was born fifteen years ago. My Pops came from Uzushio and was an honorary member of the Fuuma clan, because he helped the previous leader of the Fuuma clan when he was traveling about thirty years ago. He met my Moms, a former member of the Kou clan that possessed the secrets involved in creating Steel Style, while she was being treated after escaping from the Land of Earth. Despite the age difference, him being in his 50's and her being in her 20's, they hit it off."

"The Uzumaki clan was known for their long lives," Kushina nodded. "Besides, people like the Sannin are that age and still quite capable."

"Yeah…well, the Fuuma clan was famous for their weapons and creating the Demon Wind Shuriken, but in a world where major hidden villages like Konoha can create trees, or Kumo can make black lightning, they fell short by miles. They wanted the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki, and the secrets of Steel Style to increase their potential."

"That makes sense…" Kushina closed her eyes. "But I'm guessing it was the way they tried to do it that was the problem?"

Hisako nodded. "Six months ago, after spending several years on it, Pops created something that would somehow help in managing the Steel Style by combining Moms' notes and his knowledge of seals, but the previous leader of the clan had died by then and the current one was…a dick if I had to put it into nice words."

She paused for a minute, closing her eyes. "Moms was killed while asleep, and Pops…he gave me this case and told me to run. I had received some lessons on using weapons and basic ninjutsu from the old clan leader since he was like my grandpa, and I killed some of the guys following me after they bought me Pops' head…"

"Where do you plan to go now?" Kushina asked.

"I was planning to go to the remains of Uzushio. I was hoping to find something to help me see what was worth Pops getting killed over."

Kushina inspected the seal on the girl's hand. "You aren't lying…"

"Of course not! Why would I lie about something as messed up as this?"

"You're in a bit of luck it would seem," Kushina said with a sincere smile. "I can open this scroll case for you."

Kushina disabled the seal changing her appearance and reverted back to her true appearance. Hisako looked at her, countless thoughts racing through her mind. Eventually it settled on the most apparent thing. "You're hair…?"

"The same color as yours," Kushina nodded. "Red hair like this is usually a sign of being related to the Uzumaki Clan in some fashion. When our village was destroyed, many of us were scattered, your father most likely being one of them."

Kushina pulled out a kunai and pricked her finger. Placing blood on the emblem, she traced the spiral from the outside in. When she reached the center, a prism light washed over the case, revealing the entire thing to be covered with sealing formulas and arrays.

"I'd advise keeping the case," Kushina placed the scroll case next to her. "Next time, just use your blood and do what I did."

Hisako looked back and forth between the scroll case and Kushina. "You're not gonna try and look or take it?"

"We're part of the same clan, even if only distantly, but it's not my place to try and take what your father left for you by force," Kushina patted her on the head. "If you need help understanding what's on the scroll, or want to learn more about your heritage, you're free to ask."

Kushina unsealed her from the 6-Point Binding and removed the seal from her hand as well, granting her back her freedom once again. "Sorry about the bindings and everything, it's just that my son is in a similar situation as you are and he's not really use to dealing with things like this…"

"He's a missing-nin? No offense, but he doesn't exactly scream…threatening," Hisako said, pointing towards the sleeping boy. "You, on the other hand…"

Kushina smiled, her hair splitting into nine sections once again. Naruto shivered in his sleep. "What about me?"

"Nothing! So, this scroll!" she showed it to Kushina. "Can you tell me about this? I can't make heads or tails out of it…I didn't exactly receive a decent education for a few reasons…"

Kushina brushed her hair, as she looked at the scroll in the light of the camp fire. "I see…Steel Style is part of a bloodline selection, derived from the Iwa version of Lava Style."

"There's more than one version of a bloodline limit?"

"I know that Lava Style can be used to make something like hardened rubber from an incident when I was younger involving Kumo, but during the war against Iwa, they typically used molten rock… Is it because the balance of elements is different?" Kushina wondered. "Anyway, the scroll shows how they found a way to add a certain balance of water chakra in order to alter what should have been a bloodline limit into a bloodline selection."

"Aren't those supposed to be genetic or something?"

"Bloodline limits that are elemental based can be reproduced through learning the proper balance of different elemental chakra. There are people who can do Ice Style techniques by birth because of their bloodline, but if you know the proper mixture of wind and water chakra it is possible…although it is much harder for them, and there are some things they can't do. You father created a seal that would help balance the chakras and make mixing them easier by adjusting the flow of chakra into…" she kept going on and on, until she noticed the girl struggling to make heads or tails of it.

"To put it bluntly, if you learn to manipulate the three basic elements, it'll do the hard work for you even if your chakra control is horrible, but pushing three elements at such a young age is difficult. At best, you'd learn how to turn only a small portion of your body into steel after several months' worth of normal training."

"I don't even know one element though," she shrugged. "All I'm good with is weapons."

"Let's see what your affinity is to start with," Kushina placed the girl's finger on a Chakra Affinity seal. It pointed out that she had an imbalanced amount of earth and fire affinity, a higher amount of earth chakra being naturally present.

"You have an earth affinity, with some geared towards fire, but not enough to be considered a bloodline. Your reserves are fairly high for your age, but that's a trait Uzumaki are born with. If you learned to pull of the shadow clone technique you would be able to make about…ten before feeling the strain right now, and could do the training necessary to use Steel Style."

"So, if I come with you," Hisako shifted. "You'd help me, miss…"

Kushina smiled. "My real name is Kushina and my son's name is Naruto. But given our circumstances, while our appearances are changed my name is Shiokitsu, or Shio, and his is Kazekitsu, or Kaze."

"Tide Fox and Wind Fox?" she muttered. "Got it. Then call me Koukitsu, the Steel Fox, when we aren't alone."

* * *

><p><em>The Next Day<em>

Hisako had decided to travel along with the mother and son to a village, in order to finish getting her wounds treated, and so Kushina would help her in training. Her injuries would interfere with her combat capabilities, and Kushina had practiced using her _Mystic Palm_ technique to repair most of the damage, but she wasn't adequate enough to deal with everything.

"Hisako-ane-chan, can you show me how to use that folding shuriken?" Naruto asked, having taken to calling her Ane-chan, or Big sis, much to her chagrin and Kushina's amusement.

"I told you squirt, it's not a toy. It's made to kill. Can't you see the dried blood and chips on it? It'll need to be replaced soon…" Hisako slowed down her pace to walk next to Kushina. "He didn't become a missing-nin for killing someone, that's for sure. Why's he in the Bingo Book?"

"It's for desertion from Konoha," Kushina said. "He's been victimized and abused physically and emotionally all his life by the majority of the village, over something he couldn't control, until he ran away and found me…"

"Ah," Hisako's eyes narrowed. "So, it's _that_ type of village?"

"I take it you suffered a similar past?" Kushina asked. "It was the hair and the fact that your parents weren't native to the village, right?"

Hisako nodded. "It was part of the reason I could never get trained officially or get a decent education. They didn't trust outsiders or their children. Add in the hair and it was a recipe for constant bullying. When the old head was alive, he protected me some…"

"But you had to resort to introducing them to your fist and then the floor," Kushina sighed. "I was the same."

"In my case, it was the sharp end of a kunai, but point made," she added. "You either get tough or you break. Which is why I'm confused about your son…"

"He wanted everyone to respect him and acknowledge him. They called him a demon and if he acted like one, the few people who defended him would be disappointed or look at him differently. He's gotten better since he left the village and when he smiles and laughs, it's because he's actually happy instead of masking the pain."

"So, he doesn't want revenge or anything…?"

"No, and while I'll admit I hate what the villagers have done to my son, my husband and I still love the belief and the village itself. But—"

Kushina's discussion was cut off once they heard the sound air being parted by a series of familiar weapons, and Hisako pulled out her Demon Wind Shuriken and tossed it towards Naruto. The sound of clashing steel was echoed through the trees, and Naruto looked back to see his mother and Hisako in fighting stances behind him, standing over broken remains of several kunai and shuriken.

"Ah…going somewhere, Hisako-chan?" a female's voice came from above. Standing on the branches was a woman with short brown hair and black eyes, with three men and wearing a forehead protector similar to Hisako's. "And it looks like you made a few friends!"

"Naya, you bitch!" Hisako snarled, grabbing her shuriken as it circled around. "You just tried to skewer him for no reason, you psychopath!"

"Well, he was there and—" Naya started, but chains emerged from the ground and into the trees. She leapt away with two of the men; the third was held down and met with Hisako's Demon Wind Shuriken. He was cut in half at the chest, exposing his lungs, heart, and blood when his body fell into four pieces towards the ground.

"You made a mistake targeting my son!" Kushina said with venom in her voice, dropping her current appearance for combat and running her hands across the seals on her clothing to summon several kunai.

"Why you—!" Naya roared, tossing a giant version of a normal shuriken that was hanging off her back at the pair of women, who avoided it with ease by jumping, before she tugged on a wire that was attached to it, causing it to fly back towards her and attempt to cleave the women in two.

_Manipulated Shuriken Jutsu!_ Kushina deduced mentally, before chambering her legs. "Sorry about this!"

She kicked off Hisako's upper arms, sending the girl to the ground and herself higher, allowing them both to dodge. One of the men used the opening to rush into close combat with Hisako using a kunai with a curved tip, while the other went after Naruto, who had donned his mask and battle clothes, with a sword.

The Nine-Tailed Fan clashed with the sword in its blade form, both weapons laced with chakra, each hit releasing a shower of blue chakra sparks. The man swung the blade diagonally and it was dodged, followed by a thrust that was parried and countered a swift chop, but that was avoided as well. Blade versus blade, they continued with Naruto being pushed back by the more experienced weapon user.

Naruto's clash ended when the man tried to swing the blade vertically and Naruto twisted his body to avoid it, carrying the blade and thrusting it when he was facing the man again, piercing his heart. Blood slid down the length of blade and dripped off at the wide mouth of the base. The body stood still in place, no longer moving, and his eyes met with Naruto, who began to shiver uncontrollably.

It was truly, his first kill. The first time he ended an enemy's life with his own hands. A person who probably had a family that loved him, precious people that would miss him, was no longer alive because of Naruto had ended it. But what truly frightened him...

"T-t-those eyes…" Naruto stuttered, recalling his time in Suna against the puppet user.

"You…bitch!" was the man with the curved tip kunai's final words, as Hisako's kunai stuck out of his chest. He fell to the ground, leaving a pool of blood that the roots of the trees would eventually drink. Hisako grabbed her Demon Wind Shuriken and tossed it again towards Naya, who was avoiding Kushina's chains as they popped out of the ground.

"Damn it!" Naya grunted as she avoided the Demon Wind Shuriken, before looking at Naruto, who was shivering and unmoving. A sinister smile crossed her face, and she positioned herself at an angle that would leave Naruto behind Kushina before she threw the giant shuriken at red-haired older woman, who jumped to avoid it. "Bye bye, blondie!"

Kushina heard the last words Naya said and turned her head. The giant shuriken carved through the air and was aiming for Naruto, who was still in shock, and the dead man. The shuriken would cleave through the corpse and the boy in a single blow, severing the bodies at the stomach into two parts. Kushina extended her hand and tried to set up a _Chakra Chain: Barrier_ to protect him, but it wouldn't reach him in time.

"Naru—" her cry was interrupted by a loud splat that accompanied a red mist that hung in the air.

Writhing in pain on the ground was not the young boy, but the red haired teenager in bandages, with the shuriken embedded in her back from the attack. Hisako had dove to save Naruto and shielded him with her body in a manner similar to Iruka Umino, as the giant shuriken lost a lot of rotational speed from the first corpse. She twitched a little, as she grunted in pain.

"Don't…freeze up…on the battlefield," she muttered, before passing out.

"Ane-chan!" Naruto cried. Naya, who threw the huge shuriken, smirked triumphantly… only to find herself with a kunai jammed into the base of her brain stem from a shadow clone of Kushina, while the original one ran over to the girl, her hands glowing green.

_Damn, can't repair the damaged muscles and it was close to her spine! If it had been less than an inch closer, she'd never be able to walk again._ Kushina mentally swore.

Naruto was shaking at the realization he caused this by hesitating. She took the attack meant to kill him because he didn't move. That's the third time he froze up and nearly lost his life, and the third time someone took a blow for his sake.

"Ane—" he started to call out, until they heard rattling in the bushes nearby. Kushina shot chains out of her body and used them to trap whatever was inside and dragged it out. It was a young man, older than Naruto, with ink black eyes, and long, dark hair. He wore gray pants and a green shirt.

"Who are you?" Kushina said, constricting him tighter.

"My name is Shibuki," the young man told her. "I'm a chuunin from Taki," he pointed to his forehead protector while shaking. "I was nearby when the fighting started."

Kushina nodded her head. "I'm Shiokitsu, or Shio for short. Listen, I understand your village is nearby but we don't know the location, can you lead us to it?"

"I-I can't," he shook his head. "Unlike the major hidden villages, ours needs its secrecy, even if you t-threaten t-t-to k-kill m-m-me."

Kushina sighed and released him from her chains. "I understand if you are concerned about your village's safety, but at the very least can you get us close enough to have a medic-nin look at her? She has several internal injuries and I can't heal them on my own."

He closed his eyes and thought about it for a minute, before looking at Hisako. "…Alright, I'll take you the general area and have a medic come out."

* * *

><p><em>An Hour Later<em>

Hisako had regained consciousness after Kushina carried her on her back, near the entrance of the Village Hidden by the Waterfalls, which was a massive waterfall that fed into a basin. She grunted silently with every few step, but she insisted that she carried herself after she woke up. Next to her was a shamed Naruto.

"I'm sorry, Ane-chan!" Naruto cried. "I…I had seen someone die before, but not by my hands…" he shivered. "But those eyes…I just…"

"Get over it brat," Hisako knocked him on the head playfully. "We're shinobi, our lives are always on the battlefield. If you don't get use to it, you'll freeze up again. Leaving out the part about me getting a new hole in my back, did you imagine what your mother must have felt when she realized she wouldn't make it in time?"

Naruto looked at his mother, who looked as though she was about to cry, while Hisako continued. "No parent wants to outlive their kid. Her goal might be to restore her village, but if you aren't there, she might lose all hope. No matter how many lives you have to take, remember that letting yourself die hurts others as well—"

"Shibuki-sama!" two little kids interrupted, coming of out of a grove of trees ahead. "Welcome back!"

"Shibuki-sama?" Kushina looked at him with a curious stare. "You aren't just a Chuunin are you?"

"Y-yeah…" he chuckled. "I guess I kinda forgot to mention that I'm the leader of the village… What are you two doing out here?"

"Really?" Naruto said skeptically. "No offense dude, but the way you hid during the battle makes me doubt that."

"Be nice to Shibuki-sama!" the little girl said.

"Kaze, be nice like the little sweetheart said. Shibuki-kun being is nice enough to get us a medic." Kushina said in a tone that frightened Naruto.

"Ah, right," Shibuki turned back to the kids. "Back to the topic, why are you two out here?"

"Mom told us to clean up outside the village so it doesn't look bad, but there's a lot…" the little girl said. Kushina and Shibuki looked into the water and noticed it did have a lot of trash.

"Oh my," Kushina whispered. "It does take away from the natural beauty. Kaze, help these kids out."

"That would be wonderful," Shibuki nodded. "I'll pay, so treat it as a mission. It shouldn't take more than a few hours and I'll have a medic see…Kou-san in the meantime."

"Hours?" Naruto huffed, making a familiar seal. "Screw that! If I'm doing this, I'm taking the easy way out. _**Shadow Clone!**_" Twenty pops later, there were twenty-one Narutos standing at attention.

"Let's get this over with!" The clones set out to work with the kids, while Shibuki sweatdropped.

"My son is a little…impatient," Kushina rolled her eyes. "We've picked up a few interesting techniques during our travels. You'll get used to it…although if you have any D-rank missions you want to outsource, we wouldn't mind doing some extra work after Kou-chan is looked at."

"Heheh…" he chuckled nervously. Before Shibuki could move, a woman stumbled out of the grove of trees the kids had come out of.

"Shibuki…sama…enemy…attack," she muttered before collapsing, a kunai stuck in her back and drawing blood.

"Mom!" the kids cried, running over to her with the clones.

Kushina followed them, and inspected the wound on the woman's back. "The injury itself isn't serious, but we don't have any medical supplies to treat her with. I can stop the bleeding with my _Mystic Palm_, but she'll need to rest somewhere safe with these kids."

"If their village is under attack, then that place sure isn't safe," Hisako said offhandedly.

"Hey, Shibuki!" Naruto walked up to him. "Take us to your village so we can do something about this! I'll get even for the woman here!"

"I can't let you into the village or reveal the entrance!" Shibuki argued. "Besides, you're just a kid, what can you do?"

"I—" Naruto hesitated, as his ears picked up footsteps coming from behind the waterfall. He drew his Nine-Tailed Fan and shifted it into fan mode, as several men popped out from behind the waterfall.

"He's ours," the man with the mark across his face said. His group then threw a volley of kunai at the Shibuki and the others. Shibuki ducked down as he grabbed the kids, while Naruto ran to cover him.

"WIND SCYTHE!" Naruto yelled, as a gale was released and threw the kunais into the water. From behind him, Hisako's favorite weapon flew and tore through the men with the exception of their leader, who retreated back into the falls.

Kushina recognized him. "That was a missing-nin from Ame!"

"You've met with him before?" Hisako asked, grabbing the Demon Wind Shuriken from the air. She winced slightly at her injuries, before sitting down and staring at Shibuki, who was on the ground in a turtle pose. "Will you man up and grow a pair!"

"My son and I ran into him and two others in the Land of Rivers. They use _Water Whips_ and can channel electricity through it, if what the scrolls we took from them said was true. If he's here, then the others probably are as well," Kushina answered. "Shibuki-kun, take us to your village."

"Eh?" he stopped cowering. "But—"

"_Shibuki-kun_," Kushina said with a stricter voice. "You are this village's leader and it is under attack. The decision you make now will affect the lives of your people. Since we've fought that man before, we're better suited to deal with this threat. Not to mention we've figured out one entrance from that last attack, but if you don't allow us to go inside, more innocent people will die."

He nodded and led them to the waterfall entrance, leaving Naruto's clones and Hisako behind to keep the kids and woman safe. Hisako protested, but Kushina pointed out that in her condition she would be too injured for a prolonged fight. Besides, they needed someone who could fight to protect the kids since the clones would dissipate in one good hit.

Inside the cave entrance, behind the falls, Shibuki stopped at three lime-colored springs and turned to the pair. "You can't tell anyone about this place," he said. "We're a small village but…"

Naruto sighed. "We're not going to tell anyone. Why are you second guessing yourself? We don't have time for this!"

"Shibuki-kun," Kushina said. "Rather than the question of can you trust us, ask yourself this: Do we look like people who would do harm to your village?"

He looked at the two of them closely. "No…"

"Good," Kushina smiled. "Once this is over, just make sure you keep our appearance and roles in this a secret from other villages. Okay?"

He nodded and the three dove into a spring and swam into an underwater tunnel.

* * *

><p><em>With Hisako<em>

"Mom…" the kids cried.

"Calm down brats, she'll be fine," Hisako said, wincing as she leaned against a tree. A few of Naruto's clones asked if they could do something to help, but she waved them off. So instead, they hung around the kids and kept an eye out for danger.

"Hm?" one of Naruto's clones turned his head, picking up something with its enhanced hearing. "What was that—"

It never finished, as a water tendril pierced it and then darted straight through half the clones in a sequence of pops, before attempting to encircle Hisako and the kids. Hisako pulled out her Demon Wind Shuriken and tossed it, cutting the whip and returning to her, while the clones protected the kids. From the trees, a number of cannon fodder mooks fell towards them, throwing a series of kunai that were blocked by the fans.

"Brats, close your eyes and cover your ears!" Hisako withdrew her last explosive note and tied it to a kunai, before she tossed it into the group. They realized they were too close together too late, as the explosion's force tore them apart and created a shower of blood, organs, and scorched flesh.

Hisako turned to the clones and ordered them to move the kids and the woman, when the remaining clones were taken out another water tendril and a man with a single eye exposed, the other hidden from sight by his hair, a mask over his mouth, and a bandana on his head landed near one of the children with a kunai drawn.

"Move and I'll skin the—" he never finished, as the Demon Wind Shuriken cleaved him into two halves vertically…which turned into water.

"Water Clone?" Hisako hissed. "Then where's—ugh!"

Hisako's voice was cut off when a water whip wrapped itself around her throat, as Kirisame emerged from the water behind her, the outline of a smile formed on the mask.

"Let me here you scream!" He channeled lightning chakra into the whip. "_**Lightning Style: Earth Flash!**_"

Electricity arched into Hisako's body and she twitched violently, falling onto the ground and unable to hear the children calling for her. Kirisame walked up to the kids and kicked them in the stomachs as hard as he could to knock them out, laughing in the process.

* * *

><p><em>With Naruto and Kushina<em>

Shibuki and Kushina surfaced slowly, their heads barely out of the water, with Naruto following. Their eyes shifted around, until Naruto caught sight of the magnificent tree at the center of the village. Standing over all the other structures by several stories, the light filtered through its canopy and left stray rays of light dotting the village.

"This place is beautiful," Naruto said, as they made their way to shore.

Kushina pulled herself out of the water and shook out her hair. "Shush Kaze, we're sneaking into enemy-filled territory."

Shibuki looked around while still in the water, before slowly receding into it and vanishing. Kushina noticed that it was too quiet, especially for a village under attack. That meant that either everyone was captured, dead…or an ambush. She positioned her hands to summon a weapon, when she saw that Shibuki had vanished.

"I kn—" Naruto's eyes widened, as a flux of memories came to him. "Mom, Kou-ane was attacked!"

"Find Shibuki!" Kushina told him, summoning a kunai from her seal and deflecting the incoming volley directed at them by the nameless mooks. "Now!"

Naruto nodded and dove into the water again. Kushina pulled out her Whirlpool Yo-Yo. Streaming normal chakra and attaching the chain in an instant, she threw it at her assailants. The spinning blade sawed its way through their soft flesh, into their organs, and back out, carrying blood and remnants of organs that were caught up in the path of the attack.

The bodies fell on the ground, as the Yo-Yo returned to Kushina's hands…which were suddenly wrapped up by two water whips. She looked to her left and right, recognizing the pair attacking her.

"Apparently, you two didn't learn from last time," Kushina sighed.

"Sorry old hag," Hisame tugged on her whip. "I don't think we've met."

"Really?" Kushina smirked. "Then you probably won't remember this one."

Chains emerged from Kushina's body and wrapped themselves around the pair of missing-nin. Kushina commanded the chains to tighten around their arms and wrist, squeezing until they could no longer hold the whips, and freed her. Kushina then yanked them closer and introduced their faces to her fists, flipping through hand seals after they were grounded.

"_**Water Style: Froth Prison!**_" she spit out pink fluid that caused foam to build up and surround the daze shinobi, before entrapping them up to their heads.

"This is the same as before!" Hisame looked at the woman. "You're that hag from the Land of Rivers!"

"Call me a hag one more time and see what happens," she threatened. "Where are the hostages?"

"They're safe—" a voice came from behind Kushina, causing her to turn around. She faced a man with long spiky hair, dark eyes, and a goatee, wearing a dark blue jacket, gray pants, and sandals. "—for now."

_I didn't sense him at all…_Kushina thought. "You must be the ring leader?"

"Something like that…" he smirked, going through hand seals. "Water Style—"

"I don't think so!" Kushina threw her kunai to stop him from performing whatever technique he planned to. The kunai buried itself up to the hilt inside his skull…only for him to turn into water. "Water Clone?"

Kushina leapt on top of the water using the water-walking exercise all of a sudden, relying on her instincts and avoiding a twister of water that turned to face her again. Using her custom weapon, she channeled a decent amount of water chakra, before bisecting the twister. As it died, a set of three kunai flew out and she dodged to the right.

"Not bad," the man's voice came from behind Kushina, and he popped out of the water, swinging a kunai as Kushina ducked, which messily cut some of her hair. Kushina jumped back to land, realizing that he had too much of an advantage against her on the water.

"You're fairly skilled, woman…" the man chuckled.

Kushina grabbed her hair and evened it out by making a cut above the section that was already missing. "I liked my hair long…"

* * *

><p><em>With Shibuki<em>

Shibuki surfaced inside the roots of the tree, where a temple was erected, holding inside of it the sacred liquid their tree produced once every hundred years, known as the _Hero's Water._ Leaving the lake, he opened the doors to the temple and pulled out the clear, gourd-shaped bottle.

_I can't let them get their hand on this_, _no matter what…_ Shibuki thought, as he began climbing up the interior of the tree until he found a gap wide enough for him to see through. He spotted the villagers all tied up at the base of the tree, with someone hanging by their arms off the Torii.

"Kou-ane!" Naruto said, suddenly appearing next to Shibuki, causing him to scream.  
>"Ow! Don't yell next to me, my ears are sensitive!"<p>

"What are you doing up here?" Shibuki asked.

"I was climbing the roots in order to find you and wound up here," he said, glaring at the man in front of Hisako, his ears twitching to listen in to the hostages. "Who is this Suien guy the hostages keep saying betrayed them, and what's this Hero Water they keep mentioning?"

"Suien was my trainer and a jounin before he defected. If Fuu were here, we might stand a chance, but Suien is the best shinobi in the village…" Shibuki shook uncontrollably.

"And the Hero's Water?" Naruto added, causing Shibuki's grip to tighten around the bottle in his hand.

"It's water produced from the great tree every 100 years. Drinking it increases your chakra tenfold, and in times of combat the village leader drinks it to protect the village."

"If you have that stuff, why not drink it and kick these guys out of your village?"

"It's a double-edged sword," he shook his head. "It eats away at your life in exchange for drinking it. Most of our shinobi died from drinking it rather than the actual fighting itself, so we sealed it away, leaving the village leader to protect it."

Shibuki pulled out a photo. "My father was the previous village leader, and a few years ago, he drank it to protect this village from an attack. However he wasn't young enough to survive drinking it…he died like a fool."

"Dying to protect your village is never a foolish thing," Naruto countered, before his ears picked up a familiar voice from the ground.

"Well, since we have some time until we start offing the hostages…" Kirisame pulled out a kunai and held it against Hisako's skin. "Let's have a little fun!"

He cut into her skin, causing her to grunt and work to suppress her voice so she didn't scream. Dragging the kunai so it broke the skin and bled, but not deep enough to be life threatening. He was sadistically tormenting her while she couldn't fight back.

"That son of a—" Naruto was getting ready to leap down, when Shibuki grabbed him. "Let me go!"

"If you just jump down there you'll die! Are you trying to get killed?" Shibuki struggled to hold onto him.

"Leave her alone!" the little girl from the forest said. Kirisame responded by pulling out a water whip and lashing at the child causing her to scream in pain.

"Shizuku-chan!" the little boy cried. "You're going to be sorry when Shibuki-sama gets here!"

"Please, that wimp?" Kirisame scoffed, before hitting the boy with the whip. "He's scared of his own shadow!"

"Better than a sadistic bastard who goes out of his way to torment children and slice up an injured woman." Hisako smirked. "Then again, that's probably all a guy like you can do. I bet a genin could kick your skinny ass."

"Shut up bitch!" Kirisame yelled, before using the whip against her. Each hit left a mark and drew blood, and Hisako restrained her voice to not yell.

"Screw this!" Naruto said, elbowing Shibuki to the ground and freeing himself. Forming the cross-seal he created eight shadow clones and then transformed them into kunai, grabbing them all and overseeing the hostages.

"Shibuki, you call your father a fool for protecting the village, but it's better than being a coward who let bastards like this get away with messing with your home and people who look up to you!"

Kirisame now had the whip wrapped around Hisako's throat. He tightened it slowly, making it harder for her to breathe and forcing her to struggle to avoid a slow death. His grip on the kunai in his other hand made it apparent he planned to finish her once she stopped struggling.

"Let her go you bastard!" Naruto yelled, as he fell down, throwing all the transformed kunai at Kirisame. He deflected them with one hand and glared at Naruto. The kunai transformed back into the clones and drew their weapons before charging him.

The original severed the water whip, while the others cut at Kirisame's body and put up a fierce fight before they were dispelled. Forcing chakra out of his feet, he used a burst to propel himself forward, into a jump kick aimed at the man's head. Kirisame's head was forced back at an angle, and a loud snap was heard, before the body flew into the water.

Kirisame floated in the water, dead.

Naruto fell to one knee, realizing he just killed another person. Yes, he was a bastard of the highest level, but it still didn't make it any easier. Yes, his emotion counselor at the Academy said he would probably enjoy it and he was pretty sure that it was bad advice that was related to the fox, but it still made him feel sick knowing he ended another person's life.

He had to make sure to have a long talk with his mother about this once they were through with all of this…

"_**Water Style: Water Dragon!**_"A roar echoed across the village, as a water dragon held its prey in its mouth and slammed it into the small temple at the base of the tree, before scattering. In the middle of the dragon's remains was Kushina, struggling to stand again after being thrashed by the water dragon.

"MOM!" Naruto cried, as the one who injured her popped up from the water behind him and dug a kunai into his shoulder blade before kicking him in the back of the head, sending him crashing into the ground next to the hostages.

"Honesty, all of them are dead or captured?" Suien rolled his shoulders, wincing slightly from the cuts and injuries Kushina gave him. "You can't get good help these days. The woman put up a good fight, I'll give her that much."

Kushina slowly got back onto her feet and started to perform hand seals, when Suien moved over to Naruto and pulled out a kunai.

"Move or try to summon those chains, and I'll kill the boy," Suien said without pause, holding the kunai to Naruto's throat. Kushina frozen in place, even though she knew that she should act. But the man didn't leave an opening…

"Shibuki!" Suien called out. "Are you such a coward that you won't even fight your own battles? Are you going to let a brat, his mother, and your villagers die because of you won't hand over the Hero's Water? The water won't do any good if there's no one left to protect!"

Silence reigned, and he was about to call out again…

"_**Tornado of Water!**_" another twister of water came down from the heavens and curved towards Suien as it neared the ground, running parallel to it. Suien leapt out of the way, the aquatic twister grazing his clothes, moving him away from Naruto. Landing in front of the downed boy, Shibuki was wrapped in an aura of his own chakra while sending the man a murderous glare.

"Long time no see, Shibuki," Suien chided. "I see you've drank some of the Hero's Water. Where's the rest?"

"It doesn't matter…" he held his hand out. "Because you'll pay for what you've done today, with your life!" Water gathered into his hand and took the form of a curved blade. "_**Hidden Waterfall Style: Water Slicing Blade!**_"

"Heh…" Naruto chuckled while reaching for his Nine-Tailed Fan, his injuries healing using the yang chakra from the fox. "About time you manned up…"

"Kid's got a point," Hisako nodded weakly. "Seven points for the excellent entry though. Nice timing and dramatic motion with the pre-asskicking line. Just don't screw it up…and can someone cut me down?"

"Come!" Suien made a gesture with his hand and summoned the same sword as Shibuki.

They charged forward, and the two blades clashed with an echo that resonated in the village. They began parrying and thrusting, swiping at each other and maneuvering to the point they were fighting on the water in a fierce dance. Shibuki had the advantage in speed, but Suien's technique was much better, and it started giving him an advantage.

"All that chakra hasn't improved you form," Suien chided, knocking away Shibuki's blade with an upward motion.

He was getting ready to stab through Shibuki, when Hisako's Demon Wind Shuriken cut through the air and made him step back to avoid death. His blade stroke became too shallow, instead ripping through Shibuki's shirt and lightly into his skin, while the younger man turned to avoid it. Through the ripped shirt, something fell out, as Shibuki's eyes widened.

"The Hero's Water!" Shibuki grunted, reaching for it before it fell into the water.

"It's mine!" Suien kicked Shibuki hard enough to the point he skidded across the surface of the water. He reached down to grab the bottle, when the Demon Wind Shuriken came back like a boomerang forcing him to lean back again.

"Tch! Stubb—" his words were cut off, when chains emerged from beneath him and he turned his head to where the woman he fought earlier had landed…only to see three of her. One was tending to Hisako, who had caught her shuriken while breathing heavily and looking pale, the other was freeing the hostages, and the last one was flipping a series of seals that he recognized would be a pain to deal with, so he struggled against the chains and got his hands close enough to make his own seals. "Water Style—"

"Don't threaten my kid! Ever!" Kushina said coldly. "_**Water Style: Giant Vortex!**_"

"—_**Water Wall!**_" Suien followed up, pouring the rest of his fading chakra into the creating a wall of water around himself to stop Kushina's attack.

The water in front of Kushina churned and spiraled, building upon itself before releasing a devastating vortex of liquid destruction towards the protective layer of water Suien crafted with the skill of a jounin. The collision created a thunderous roar, as water rained and scattered all over the battlefield that was the village, with enough force that it pushed back some of the villagers and forced them to brace themselves and close their eyes, while the screams of the children were muted. There were only two figures that could move under the pressure of the colliding forces…

"_**SHIBUKI!**_" Inside the maelstrom of clashing waves Naruto bought forth the fox's chakra. Dashing across the raging waters, he covered the chakra blade with a cloak of demonic chakra.

"I KNOW!" Shibuki responded, still powered by the Hero's Water, dashing over towards Suien from the other direction, his blade once again at the ready. _This chakra is so much like Fuu's, and his appearance…_

"Sh—!" Suien didn't finish, as the boys broke through his defenses and cut through him, penetrating his soft flesh with hardened water and demonic chakra, adding blood to the fading water wall. When his defenses failed completely, Kushina's attack plowed whatever remained of the man into the rock face of the village, and ensured that he would not survive.

Naruto held Shibuki over his shoulder as he surfaced from beneath the settling water, his cloak faded from existence, while whispering to Shibuki with the bottle of Hero's Water in his hand. "_You're not gonna tell anyone about what just happened, right?_"

"_No,_" Shibuki chuckled. "_Fuu showed me already that you don't piss off someone with a chakra demon inside them, and you helped the village. My lips are sealed._"

The pair made their way to the cheering villagers, welcoming their returning heroes. This incident would naturally be kept as a village secret, so their exploits would not reach Konoha, and the remaining Hero's Water would be sealed away once again. Suien's coup ended in failure, which would be washed away and hidden by the waterfalls…

* * *

><p><em>Several days later<em>

"So, you're planning to restore a village?" Shibuki asked, having gathered his advisors inside his office. His body was still rather sore from using the Hero's Water, but he survived it at the very least.

"Yes," Kushina nodded. "For that reason, I would like your support when the time comes. Having support from a hidden village is a necessity in terms of military, economic, and political power."

"Economically, we aren't in too tight of a spot, but overall…" one of Shibuki's advisors trailed off. "Well, if your son and his clones didn't handle those D-rank missions, we would be falling on harder times. It is lucky that the rest of our injured shinobi will recover within a few more days."

"Economic support can be handled later, when I get the village up and running, we can handle all your surplus D-ranks and a few C-ranks. A few joint missions would be acceptable as well. But right now, I wanted to propose a business arrangement between your village, Takumi, and myself."

Kushina pulled out her weapon. "I've taken that you've seen my son and my weapons, correct?"

"Your weapons are quite impressive, Shiokitsu-san" another one of Shibuki's advisor nodded. "The blacksmiths in our village couldn't manage something like this."

"I've contacted the person who made our weapons and we've worked out templates for a few blades that excel at channeling chakra through a sealing array similar to ours, although right now we only have blades that work with normal, wind, and water chakra. Their village is in need of more clients, and I believe that through a mutual trade agreement, all of our villages could benefit. Although, until the village I hope to restore is completed, my involvement would be kept a secret."

"What about military power?" Shibuki asked. "How many shinobi are we lending?"

"A few would be nice for a few years, I'm already in contact with a major figure in Suna about a similar arrangement, and so it won't be your village alone. During their stay, I'll educate them in some of the techniques I've studied, as well as my sealing techniques."

"As for the political power, you only need us to back your request for the position of Daimyo?" the third advisor asked and Kushina nodded. "That might be a problem depending on where this village is located."

"The Land of Whirlpools," Kushina said. "Because the village there was destroyed, it has been unattended for some time, and it is available. I plan to restore it as both Daimyo and village leader."

"Hm," the older advisor scratched his chin. "Very well. Shibuki-sama, I'd suggest that we consent to a private six-month trading agreement with our guest here and her contact in Takumi, to be renewed if enough of our genin pass the Chuunin Exams, and if the weapons prove satisfactory. As for the political support, we shall give our signature on an official petition and keep two copies here. Is that acceptable, Shiokitsu-san?"

"Yes, it is." Kushina nodded. "Shall we arrange the trading agreement then?"

Kushina and Shibuki, with his advisors managed to work out a trade agreement. Gen of Takumi would produce the weapons, lined with Kushina's seals, and then export them to Taki, where they would be bought in bulk. The increase in quality of weapons would add to their military power and benefit them further, as well as serving as a method of advertising for Takumi. The next Chuunin Exams would determine not only would the influx of missions to Taki, but also the customized weapons requests to Takumi would increase, strengthening their economies and by extension Uzushio's with the extra funding reaching Kushina.

After all the paper work was done she sent Gen his copy via contact scroll, and left Shibuki a contact scroll as well. Shibuki also gave her a scroll on a few of their techniques, seeing as she had a water affinity. They would spend a few more days in Taki to finish the D-rank missions, and wait for Hisako to heal, and then they would depart through the Land of Sound.

* * *

><p><em>Suna<em>

Chisaki was currently sparing with Temari of the Desert in close range combat. Temari's fan wasn't too bad at melee combat, but it was a lot slower and hard to grip completely. Chisaki had excellent footwork, but lacked the range without using chakra to extend the tips of her war fans. So Chisaki would slip into her guard, strike, and slip out again or risk being battered.

"…How's Gaara?" Temari asked a bit nervously, avoiding the tips of Chisaki's fan by twisting her body.

"Better," Chisaki planted a kick into Temari's stomach. "You'd be surprised at how much a little sleep can do for a person…although those markings around his eyes won't vanish. He'd probably be happy if you guys visited him every once in awhile."

After the Kazekage was killed, the council was assigned to manage the village until his replacement could be found. The sand siblings were now orphans, but they were capable of taking care of themselves for the most part. However, Gaara was placed under Chiyo's care by her own request.

After the council picked themselves up off the floor and wiped their mouths from the spit takes and facefaults they collectively performed on her declaration, they were curious as to why. The woman had an isolationist and militaristic view of the village and would not help if she could avoid it. Not to mention it was no secret she had no love for the deceased Kazekage.

She merely pointed out that with the Kazekage dead, she would have to manage his new seal to ensure Shukaku didn't wake up and go on a rampage. Truthfully, bloodlust gone or not, Gaara still had to learn to integrate himself into regular society, which would continue to treat him like a monster. Even his own siblings were still wary of him.

Chiyo was currently one of the few people who did not fear him and would support him. She confirmed the files Kushina handed him in their mindscape, and the fact that his mother and uncle did love him, even his father did to some extent, although he let the position of Kazekage blind him. She also planned to have Gaara maintain communication with the other young Jinchuuriki, as someone who could relate to his pain.

"Right now he's out though. Chiyo-baa-sama was going to recommend you three help the Academy out since they were getting ready to start the new program completely next month, so she sent him to get a look at the genin entering it at the Academy."

* * *

><p><em>With Gaara<em>

As for Gaara, he was currently hovering over the new Academy building, which was recently built. It was dome shaped, with windows that would hold against the desert winds and keep the building cool through strategically placed heat vents. The number of students it could hold at once was a mere 500, but considering the majority of them wouldn't graduate and become genin, it was sufficient.

Suna had begun to emulate Konoha's program and the current students were still adjusting before the complete switch, which he could tell through observing them by using the _Third Eye_ technique to avoid being seen. It would still take some time to get them fully integrated at this rate. As the students started to leave the grounds, he too prepared to depart…

"Cut it out, Dama!" a girl cried, as she barely dodged a kunai.

Before Gaara could depart, he witnessed one male student with several kunai, throwing them at another student, while an instructor looked at the sight somewhat bored. The girl had short brown hair, dark eyes, and fair skin. She wore a blue-green blouse that hung off her left shoulder, a white sleeveless shirt underneath it, a yellow scarf around her neck, and a black short skirt.

_He's at the top of the class so far, and she's at the bottom due to her refusing to use weapons during the accuracy drills_, the instructor thought. _She'll probably flunk out once the new program is fully implemented, so I guess its okay…besides they're blunted…_

"If you're so scared of them Matsuri…" the boy launched another set of kunai at her. "Consider it dodging practice!"

"Enough…" Gaara droned, forming a sand wall in front of the girl as he descended onto the ground with his arms crossed. All the students there clamed up at seeing this, and the instructor was sweating with an intensity that suggested heat stroke. It got so quiet, even the desert wind died down and you could hear a pin drop.

They all heard about Gaara's reputation as a weapon, even if they hadn't seen Shukaku in action. The most bloodthirsty and ruthless shinobi in Suna, only matched by a few veterans in terms of skill and stamina. A demon in the form of a child…

He walked up to Matsuri, who was also shaking on the ground, and stared at her with no visible emotion. "…are you okay?"

"Y-Yes!" she said, rising onto her feet, but taking a step back.

"Very well…" Gaara turned his gaze to the instructor. "Why did you not interfere? A student could have been harmed."

"Th-the weapons are b-b-blunted…" the instructor stuttered. "There was no harm done!"

"Even blunted weapons can cause damage…" Gaara pointed out, while withdrawing the sand he used to protect Matsuri into his gourd. "Do not let it happen again." Gaara warned, before he turned to walk away.

_This was supposed to be the most fearsome genin, who craved blood and killed at the drop of the hat with that cursed sand of his?_ Dama took a deep breath. _Yet, he hasn't made any kind of threat or movement…I bet all those rumors were made up because he was the previous Kazekage's kid. In that case…_

"Wait!" the arrogant student said, a bead of sweat dripping from his forehead and down his cheek. "I heard that you and your siblings were trained personally by the last Kazekage and you didn't go through the program since you could control sand…"

Gaara turned slowly to look at him. "Do you have a point you want to make…?"

"Then prove you're a shinobi without that sand of yours! Let's have a match!" Dama swallowed. "Practice and blunted weapons only. None of that sand of yours."

"_Dude! Have you flipped!_" a lanky boy whispered in the arrogant student's ears. "_He'll kill you!_"

Gaara looked at him while considering just killing him and being done with it, but a feminine voice inside his head whispered not to, and he remembered Kushina's words. So he turned to the instructor. "Can you hand me a blunted rope dart? A Jouhyou?"

The instructor nodded and went to fetch one quickly, tossing it to Gaara nervously and somewhat curious he didn't just kill the boy…perhaps he was going to play with his food like a cat first or something. Get his hopes up and crush him like an ant…

"You may want to take a step back…" Gaara said to Matsuri without turning his head. She complied, and fell back to the growing crowd, as Gaara twirled the weapon he borrowed in the air around him with one hand by the string, the other hand on the handle.

"A jouhyou…" Dama withdrew a few shuriken from his holster. "A jouhyou can't do any real damage!" He threw the shuriken at Gaara, who stepped to the side and knocked them down with a horizontal swing using the dart at the end of it, before going back to twirling it.

"Indeed, a jouhyou isn't primarily used in Suna for attacking…" Gaara droned, as he recalled a memory from before his uncle, Yashamaru, tried to kill him. They watched as a foreign performer used a flaming dart to perform a beautiful display, making elegant turns and leaving a ring of flames on the sand. "Although there are few masters in Suna, it is widely used as part of dances during celebrations…"

Matsuri watched Gaara closely, as he deflected blunted shuriken one after another. It was intriguing to her for some reason…If he was some blood thirsty weapon like the other adults said, why didn't he choose a different weapon?

Dama was getting angered that he was being shown up by what can hardly be considered a weapon at all and reached in his pouch for a sharpened kunai. Gaara allowed the rope to wrap his elbow and then shot it out toward the boy. The blunted dart flew forward and nailed the kunai the boy was getting ready to throw, knocking it from his hands, and then retreated back to Gaara.

"I believe that the terms were practice and blunted weapons only…" he said emotionlessly. With one more shot, it flew toward the stunned student and wrapped around his upper body and arms, before Gaara tugged it and the boy fell to his knees. The match was over, and Gaara placed the handle on the ground.

"A jouhyou's dart is primarily used to keep the enemy back, but it can be shot forward as a piercing weapon, especially if infused with lightning chakra," Gaara said, turning his back on the grounded student and walking away. "The rope is used to capture an enemy, but it can be replaced with wires or possibly chakra strings, if given the right density."

"_If you don't want to kill, it is an adequate weapon,_" he muttered, as he walked past Matsuri and beyond the parting crowd behind her.

She turned to look at his figure fading in the distance, a fleeting feeling of interest rising inside her towards him. The rest of the students began muttering to themselves about what just happened, and Dama was silently swearing under his breath.

* * *

><p><em>Konoha<em>

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed as he and a shadow clone dealt with the ultimate enemy known as paperwork.

He just received a message from Kushina about how Naruto's counselor sabotaged his emotional training and he was planning on giving the man a trip to Ibiki for it. It was times like this that he felt like he failed the child of his successor. He did his best for the boy given all things, but looking back, he realized just how much the village hated the boy.

He honestly wondered why Kushina saved him that day, to the point that he wrote asking her about it after sending over information on how to perform the _Shuriken Shadow Clone_ technique, a jutsu he created. Her response was summed up as Naruto wanted him to live and she felt that Minato would never abandon the village completely out of spite.

_Minato…I can only imagine what you would say to us for allowing your legacy and child to suffer…_Sarutobi thought. He, Jiraiya, and Tsunade knew that Kushina was up to something, and they were indebted to her for her assistance in the invasion. As long as she did not threaten the safety of the village, they would be happy to assist her in any manner they could, such as getting the materials she wanted but didn't have access to.

Yet, she never once asked for assistance in what they believed was her long term goal, restoring her village. Her words from that meeting at night about a village for Naruto bought them to the conclusion that she would try to restore Uzushio, the process of which would be arduous. It probably meant that she didn't trust the village as much as she once did…

"No surprises there…" the old man said to himself. He couldn't blame her for what they did to her son. But the problem with restoring her village without Konoha's help was the fact that Naruto was there.

While the fact that he was a Jinchuuriki was unknown to most outside factions, it would bring up more arguments since Taki was the only small village with one. Not to mention if his father's identity came to light, they'd be overrun with Iwa shinobi out for blood. While Oonoki and Sarutobi came to an agreement after the war and were on somewhat decent terms, and Oonoki knew better than to target a child for something he had no control over, the words "Namikaze" tended to drive more than a few of his forces up the wall.

Add the words "living heir" and it would be a political hellstorm on top of what he knew would be several rouge attempts to kill the boy. Not to mention the Uzumaki clan was technically near extinct, so there would probably be a call for the C.R.A to give the boy many wives on top of who his father was, causing several important political people to target him. And then the civilian council was starting to overstep their bounds.

Danzo and Hiruzen didn't normally agree on matters, but he was starting to think that stripping them of some power would be good if they kept calling for a witch hunt on Naruto. That or finally going with Jiraiya's plan of having a few _accidents_ and _disappearances_ happen to the more vocal members.

"No, I can't do that…" Sarutobi sighed. Damn his belief in the people.

Still, they had to think of a way to somehow give him his father's assets, stop him from becoming a political plaything or weapon, make sure he could survive anything thrown at him, and somehow support Kushina's efforts to restore her village from the shadows. As these facts ran over in the old man's head, he could only come to one conclusion…

"I really wish Tsunade would take this blasted hat…"

* * *

><p><em>Canon Jutsu:<em>

Lightning Style: Earth Flash – Releases a wave of electricity through the users hand, the amount and intensity depends on the user's wishes. (Boar-Ram-Snake-Horse-Dragon)

Water Clone – A C-rank clone technique that uses water to create a clone at about roughly 10% of their overall power. The clones can't travel too far from the original and one good hit will dispel them. (Tiger)

Water Style: Water Dragon: A B-rank offensive techniques that shapes a large amount of water into a dragon.

Water Style: Water Wall: A B-rank defensive technique where the user spits out water around the user, making a defense with not opening. The strength, duration, and resistance are dependent on the amount of chakra poured into it. (Tiger-Snake-Rat-Snake-Tiger)

Tornado of Water: A Ninjutsu that creates a vortex of water around the user, which can be used offensively or defensively. (Ram-Horse-Bird)

Manipulated Shuriken: A D-ranked Shuriken Ninjutsu that uses thin or transparent wires or chakra strings to manipulate a thrown shuriken; an expert will have the ability to send the shuriken in any direction with a single movement of their finger tips.

* * *

><p><em>Notes:<em>

Naruto and Hisako are missing-nin until they join another village to have some protection, and Kushina is suppose to be dead and bringing up her name would cause some issues right now.

Suien is suppose to be a jounin, yet all we see him do is get clobbered by Naruto after beating Shibuki with a stab, so I raised the threat level. I said there were no godlike, unstoppable killing machines….except maybe Akatsuki in the first part.

Since canon is changed due to the basic plot, Gaara did not become a Chuunin yet and is still technically a genin, at the same time Matsuri is an Academy student at Suna.

After spending a week reading some fanfics for Naruto because of my short attention span, I want to ask: Why does nearly every Naruto banished fanfic have him becoming a living god or supreme bloodline? Is having a chakra demon of immense power sealed inside not enough?


	8. Chapter 6: Sound, Hot Springs, and Sea

Advent of the Spiraling Ninja

Chapter 6: Sound, Hot Springs, and Sea

_Taki_

It had been a week since Hisako, Naruto, and Kushina had left the village and began their trek to the Land of Sound. Repairing the damage caused by the fighting was simple enough with the use of Naruto's Shadow Clones, and all that was really left was the temple at the base of their sacred tree. The Hero's Water was sealed up once again, to be used during the next emergency.

Descending from the gap in the tree canopy between the Great Tree and the surrounding ones was a young kunoichi with mint green hair that fluttered in the breeze, an orange hair clip decorating it. Her sleeveless white midriff shirt, which was complimented by long white arm warmers, had fishnet armor beneath it. There was matching fishnet shorts underneath a short white apron skirt, and on her back was a cylinder of some kind, wrapped in red cloth. She could also speak to and control insects to a greater extent than an Aburame.

With her orange eyes, she overlooked the Village Hidden by the Waterfalls, their forehead protector worn on her right arm, and two wings on her back. She noticed that the temple at the base of the Great Tree was being reconstructed, and the air felt…different.

"Lucky Seven," she called to her tenant. "You feel that?"

_I sense demonic chakra…_Choumei, the Seven-Tails replied. _You should go hit up someone for information, Fuu._

Fuu flew towards the village leader's office, landing in front of a guard that stood between her and the door. "What happened while we were out?"

"Oh great, it's you…" the guard scoffed. "The one time we needed a weapon like you, and you were missing."

"I was on a mission!" Fuu snapped back. "Now quit being a pain and tell me what happened, or I'll shove a—"

"FUU!" a voice yell from above, and the two looked up to see Shibuki with his head out of a window. "Come on up!"

"Kay! Chibi-buki!" she said, practically shoving the man out of the way.

_I'm as tall as she is now, so why am I still Chibi-buki…_Shibuki sighed.

Shibuki's father was the one who selected Fuu to be turned into Jinchuuriki, having known her parents, who lost their lives defending the village. He treated her as best he could, and she grew up as childhood friends with Shibuki, which earned her the ire of the other girls, in addition to holding a demon. Once he died, the abuse became more advocated, but she kept her friendship with Shibuki close.

After arguing with the secretary keeping her away from Shibuki's office, she entered the room and Shibuki told his advisors to leave for a few minutes. After the room was empty, he used one of the privacy seals Kushina gave him in an act of good faith towards the village and told Fuu about Suien's return and the battle.

"So, the kid has a demon inside of him like me?" Fuu tilted her head. "Do you know how many tails or what village he's from?"

Shibuki pulled out a Bingo Book and showed her Naruto's page. "We didn't know he was a missing-nin until recently, and while normally we would turn him over or inform Konoha, we are indebted to him."

"So, if the leaf asks if we've seen him, we're gonna lie our asses off?"

"Exactly," Shibuki nodded. "Considering how the only demon that attacked Konoha was over 12 years ago, and Naruto's age…"

"He's got the fox then?" Fuu sighed. "I've got the bug, so I'm short by two tails, and I can only control the two that work as my wings during a partial transformation without losing myself. What's he like?"

Shibuki scratched his head. "Uh…like you I guess? He's got a lot of energy and he's pretty hyper, but he's reliable when he needs to be. It's safe to say that if he and the others didn't help, Suien would have destroyed the village."

"Even so…"Fuu suddenly smiled, and ran over and hugged a stunned Shibuki, leaving him blushing about his face being in a certain place. "All things considered, you've manned up a lot Chibi-buki! Going toe-to-toe with Suien like that, your old man would be proud!" she chuckled. "Keep it up and I might let you take me out some time."

"Wh-why would I…I don't…" Shibuki thought of what he wanted to say. They were childhood friends and were comfortable with each other a lot…

"S-sure…" he relented.

* * *

><p><em>Land of Sound<em>

To say that the Land of Sound had a bandit and missing-nin problem would be like saying Naruto liked ramen. At this point, they had been attacked roughly twelve times and had taken down at least fifty bandits and eight missing-nins. It was quite a learning experience for the trio that you couldn't get in a safe village or as a genin doing D-rank missions.

Kushina was already in a bad mood, despite coming up with some new seal designs, since her long hair was now only barely beyond shoulder-length. It wouldn't grow back on its own for years, unless she altered the seal on the puppet she was using, increasing the yang chakra input. That would take another three months at the rate her shadow clones were learning.

Needless to say, many bandits suffered by her hands, to such an extent that even the fox was impressed.

Naruto received proper emotional counseling from both Kushina, who was gentle about it, and Hisako, who was…_less_ gentle about it. He still felt horrible, and he would never fully accept the fact that he had to kill, but he was a shinobi and it was inevitable. He knew that it would be necessary to protect others from people like Suien.

Hisako received treatment for her injuries and was stuck in a hospital bed for far longer than she liked. It made her restless and impatient, if she had the stamina Naruto had, they'd had to station guards outside her windows and doors. She also replaced all the missing and damaged equipment she had, and she practiced chakra control with some of the exercises that she had gone through with Naruto.

When she was finally free of Taki, she demonstrated and taught both Naruto and Kushina a thing or two about proper weapons use and tactics. Like how you could react to projectiles that flew without looking by listening for the sound of them flying, or simply moving a half-step since accurate shots were easier to dodge. She was also proficient in close combat with a knife or kunai.

At the moment, the trio was at the bottom of a cliff, getting in more training. There were about five hundred Narutos doing their katas, chakra control, practicing manipulating the chakra chains, and practicing ninjutsu. There were also about eight Hisako doing the work of developing her basics and elemental chakra development, since Kushina instructed her in using the _Shadow Clone, Chakra Strings,_ and _Shuriken Shadow Clone_ jutsus, however, while her control was still better than Naruto's she wasn't as proficient in usage since her village focused of weaponry.

The original Hisako and Naruto were currently walking up the side of the cliff carrying boulders about half their size to build up strength and control, based on some of the things Minato told Kushina about Jiraiya's training.

"Your mom is a slave driver!" Hisako glared at Naruto. "This kind of training is nuts!"

"You get used to it…" Naruto sighed. "At least we'll be able to keep up with guys who are above our skill level because we went at it hard…plus she's teaching me a jutsu that'll go great with your Shuriken Shadow Clone, so we can pull of a collaboration technique."

"That won't matter if we're dead tired!" Hisako swore under her breath. "We spent the last week training all day, fighting bandits, working on elemental manipulation and chakra control, and I think she muttered something about getting chakra weight similar to some dude name 'Gai'—"

"SLICING SOUND WAVE!" a rough male voice roared, as a fierce gale cut through the air at the top of the cliff, knock a spray of small stones and earth down the side the pair was climbing on. They closed their eyes, until Naruto's ears picked up two other voices.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Naruto's eyes widened, as two figures flew from the top side limply, carried on the gale, and falling down the side of the cliff. With his enhanced hearing, he picked up the faint words the figures muttered.

"Arashi-nii-chan…Jiraiya-sama…" the girl whispered faintly. "The life you protected…I'm sorry…"

"Is this it…?" the boy whispered.

"MOM!" Naruto yelled below, pushing chakra into his feet, he shot off the side of the cliff and dropped the boulder he was carrying. Extending his arms, he felt them strain once the figures were embraced by them and he fell to the earth with them in tow…

"_Chakra Chain: Web!_" before they could hit the ground, chains sprouted and formed a web to cushion their fall, having enough slack to reduce their velocity until they were only a foot off the ground. Kushina sighed in relief, as she and all the clones ran over to the web, dropping their assignments.

As Naruto stepped away from the pair on the web, he noticed the boy was completely out of it. The semi-conscious girl looked around and saw the large number of identical people. Before she could say anything, as the originals tried to help her up…

"Slicing Sound Wave!" the voice from before cried. The original Kushina threw up a barrier using the web as a focus, as the fierce gale tore through the massive amounts of clones, leaving none of them standing once the wind died down.

"He's here! We have to leave!" the girl struggled to move.

"Who?" Kushina asked.

"Me," that same voice emerged for a third time, as a man jumped out of the ground beneath the barrier, stunning them all. He had an Oro forehead protector, a beige long-sleeved shirt, black shinobi pants and sandals, cold black eyes, and had air tubes implanted in his arms that came out of his hands.

Lashing out at the redhead first, Kushina was kicked from Sasame's side, breaking the concentration for her barrier and chains, and into the cliff side, where she laid still and unmoving. The man pointed his hands towards Hisako and blasted her directly with the attack, tearing at her clothing and lacing her body with cuts and scratches that drew blood, firmly shooting her into a large tree base.

"Mom! Hisako-ane!" Naruto growled, looking at the man with red eyes. Naruto was grabbed by the throat and slammed head first into the ground, followed by a stomp that left him firmly embedded.

"Hunt's over…" the man sneered. He grabbed the girl by the neck, before placing the other boy's head under his foot and smiled. "What a shame…"

"Gah…Ah…" the girl uttered, trying to remove the hand that was wrapped around her throat. Markings started spreading from the base of his neck, as the man tightened his grip at seeing the tears come from her eyes, and raised his leg to prepare to stomp the boy's head and crush it like a grape being smashed. He bought down the leg and the foot impacted something hard, shattering the ground around it by a five foot radius.

"What the hell?" he looked down to see the boy inside a narrow, oval barrier created by thin chakra chains. Another set of chains wrapped around his arm holding the girl, and he looked over to the origin of it to see Kushina panting and glaring at him, while holding out the hand that the chain extended from.

"Drop the girl or lose the arm," she said. He laughed and tightened the grip once again, so Kushina applied her water chakra to the chain holding his arm, and showed him what happens when you alter the acidic level.

The man yelled and dropped the now unconscious girl, his arm being eaten by the chains as they burned into his skin. Using the properties of water chakra, she had it begun dissolving his arm like acid. He raised his other arm and fired off another blast of pressurized air, forcing Kushina to drop the chain and dodge, while summoning another oval barrier to protect the girl.

"Bitch!" the man roared, firing small bastardized versions of the _Wind Style: Air Bullet_ jutsu. Each hit left a hole in the side of the cliff as she ran to avoid it, until a Demon Wind Shuriken came down like a guillotine and cut through his left arm. He screamed in pain, giving the cue for Naruto to spring back to life and activate his Nine-Tailed Fan.

"Wind Scythe!" Naruto summoned a gale and laced it with wind chakra, tearing gashes out of his flesh as he flew into the trees, snapping several of them in the process. A normal shinobi would be dead after that.

Kushina, Hisako, and Naruto hovered over to the pair of unconscious victims. Kushina ran a diagnostic over them, showing they had numerous cuts and lacerations, but all treatable given enough time at her skill level. Hisako, on the other hand, had her clothing covered with patches of blood from the first attack.

"Well…" Kushina grunted, feeling one of her ribs was bruised. "Lesson of the day: Normal barriers only work on the surface. I'll have to work on that…Ow…"

A roar blasted through the forest, and a spike of chakra emerged from the location of the Oto-nin, who apparently didn't die. He came into view, the marking from his neck slowly spreading over his body like flames leaving a trail of destruction behind him, turning his skin charcoal black and extending his hair wildly. Five tubes came out of his remaining arm, surrounding his hand like a pentagon, and he glared at them.

"Crap," Hisako picked up the Demon Wind Shuriken she threw earlier. "This feels like it's going to be one of those days…"

"The markings that were on his arm…" Kushina summoned her Whirlpool Yo-Yo. "They were the same kind that Mikoto's boy had."

"The same as Sasuke?" Naruto readied his Nine-Tailed Fan, recalling the memory. "Yeah…except his didn't cover his body and made him look like a charcoal-covered emo…although it would probably match somehow."

The Oto-nin took aim at his targets. Kushina summoned out nine kunai from her shoulder seals and threw them around the five of them, each having a blue-outlined seal tag on them, while conjuring her chains to form a dome around them. With one final push, she threw another kunai with two different tags on it, one red and one blue, at the man as her barrier went up.

"**SUPERSONIC SLICING WAVE!**" the second stage cursed-seal transformed Oto-nin roared…and then it sounded like trumpet of heaven blared. A howl so loud that it drowned out anything else, hurricane winds forcing the ground to kneel and break before it, the tsunami of earth and air carried themselves towards the group like an unstoppable machine.

The kunai Kushina threw was obliterated, but not before the red tag ripped itself apart and the blue tag was engulfed by white flames, turning the tag from blue to black. The tags on the nine kunai around them, inside the barrier had changed to black as well. The wave crashed into the barrier and forced Kushina to devote a hefty amount of the chakra Naruto had refilled for the day in order to keep it up.

The cliff behind them was…_gone_, from the impact of the blast, which died down after five seconds, leaving a sweating and tired Kushina on one knee, maintaining the barrier in case of a second attack. It got very quiet, their breathing and the rumbling of collapsing debris in the distance being the only ambient sound…

"Gotcha—" the Oto-nin popped out of the ground and inside the barrier, hand at the ready to blow them all away, when he noticed Kushina smirking.

"_Sealing Art: Nine Tails Binding!_" From the nine tagged kunai, chakra chains emerged and entrapped his limbs, forcing him onto his knees. The tagged kunai that was destroyed registered his chakra signature and then transmitted it towards the nine around them. Once his chakra was detected inside the formation, the chains ensnared him.

Kushina summoned a kunai with lethal intent. This man tried to kill her and her charges, which was a mistake on his part. Naruto had to turn his head, not wanting to see his mother cleave through the man's throat in a single swipe; he failed to notice the bound shinobi's final attempt.

"Naruto," his mother called for him, so he faced her while eying the bloody kunai. "I understand you not wanting to see people die, but never turn your head until the battle is truly over," she pointed towards the man's hand, which had been aiming for him. A split-second slower with her kunai, and she'd have been childless.

"Sorry…" he apologized.

"You and Hisako-chan take these two kids to the camp," she motioned towards the injured pair. "I'm curious about this seal that changed this man, so I'm going to analyze it for a bit and then seal the corpse away to send to Sarutobi."

"Alright," Hisako cracked her knuckles. "I'll take carrot-top, you take the other blonde."

* * *

><p><em>A Few Hours Later<em>

Kushina had taken a wash in the stream after handling the corpse and sending it to Sarutobi via contact scroll and storage seal. The old man sent it to be autopsied and agreed to share the information on the seal with her and Jiraiya to see if they could find a way to nullify it in the future. She held little love for the village that tormented her son, and politics wasn't her strong point, but by assisting them from the distance, it would help in the long run with restoring her village.

The sun had set, and the group was settled around a fire. Everyone had eaten, and the injured were rested and on the road to recovery. The duo had the 6-point binding seal on them, out of safety and because Hisako complained of being unfair that she went through it, so it was time to ask some questions.

"Alright," Kushina attached seal slips to the back of their hands. "I went through the same process with Hisako. Tell me your names and why you were being pursued, lie and the seal will turn red."

"My name is Sasame Fuuma," the orange-haired girl told them. Naruto and Kushina looked between her and Hisako.

"She means the Fuuma clan of sound, not the Demon Wind clan," Hisako sighed. "Trust me, the confusion was bought up more than once in the past."

"I've abandoned my past name, call me whatever you wish," the light blonde boy said.

"Since you smell like bamboo and I'm still hungry for some ramen…How about Menma?" Naruto asked, before being decked by Hisako. "Ow!"

"This is serious!" Hisako yelled.

"Menma is fine…" he sighed, showing them the tattoo on his arm. "I've abandoned the Shiin clan, who took me in at a young age, because I realized how low they've fallen."

"Neither of the seals has turned red, so you're both being truthful," Kushina smiled. "Why were you being chased by an Oto-nin and what can you tell me about his seal that transformed him? The last time I heard about this place, it was known as the Land of Rice Fields, so I'm not familiar with the new village they come from."

"There is no Oto," Menma corrected her. "There are only bases that house shinobi like that man who chased us. Part of my clan's descent was due to the fact that all the skilled shinobi, like Tayuya-san, began to leave to join them, and the Daimyo eventually stopped sending missions."

"This place was known as the Land of Rice Fields, and even though there were many clans, it was somewhat peaceful…until _he_ came along…" Sasame closed her eyes. "That man named Orochimaru."

Kushina's eyes widened. "Orochimaru, the snake sannin, is here?"

Sasame shook her head. "He was, but his base was abandoned when I went there with Jiraiya-sama to find my cousin, Arashi-nii-chan. The Orochimaru and Kabuto there were imposters, members of my clan who were swallowed by a forbidden jutsu…in the end, only I and Kotohime-san survived.

"Orochimaru doesn't take betrayal well…he sent an Oto-nin with a cursed mark to chase after me when one of his men noticed me a week ago, while I was separated from the rest of the clan. The rest of the Fuuma clan would have been wiped out if I stayed…so I ran away."

"I was running from my past as a member of the Shiin clan," Menma cut in. "When I ran into Sasame-chan being attacked and interfered, it made me a target of interest as well. The Oto-nin liked to play with his food…so to speak. Taking his time, allowing us to rest for a set amount before beginning to hunt us again, all so he didn't have to hurry back to wherever he came from…something about a creepy medic with glasses."

"That would be Kabuto," Sasame corrected him. "Anyway, we were at the end of our rope when we were blown off the cliff, and here we are."

"I see," Kushina nodded. "What are your abilities and what are your plans for now?"

"I can use my ocarina to cast genjutsu and augment one's abilities," Menma pointed towards his ocarina. "I'm simply running from my past, so anywhere outside the Land of Sound would do."

"I'm a little familiar with seals…" Sasame dropped her head. "Other than that, I'm nothing special. I just can't go back home and I dragged Menma-kun and you three into this mess…"

"Don't take yourself so lightly," Kushina patted the girl on her head. "You're better than you think you are, to survive so long against such a man. He's the first one to be smart enough to go _under_ the barrier, and it forced me to set up a trap instead of us overpowering him."

"Whatever," Hisako snorted. "I think we should all get the hell out of this place tomorrow. We're close enough to the Land of Hot Water's borders to get there by midday."

"Come with us, you two!" Naruto told them. "If you don't have a home to return to, we'll give you one when we restore our village."

"Is that really alright?" Sasame asked.

Kushina smiled at them. "Our next stop is the Land of Hot Water, where we'll catch a boat ride towards the ruins of Uzushio and then head to Kiri…providing nothing else happens…"

Naturally, something else was going to happen…

* * *

><p><em>Land of Sound-Land of Hot Water Border<em>

A silver kunai cut through the air, targeting Menma. Upon hearing it coming, Hisako took her folded Demon Wind Shuriken and deflected it, only for it to recede thanks to a ribbon attached on the end. From behind the trees, numerous men appeared, their leader taking the front.

"Going somewhere?" the leader of the bandits said.

"Shiin…" Menma's eyes narrowed.

"How could you even think of leaving us behind?" Shiin chided. "I've even went through the trouble of postponing my plans to see you off."

The bandit leader looked at the group. "It seems like you found a few interesting people to travel with. It's a shame that they've got to die for being associated with you. You know what we do to deserters and traitors."

"Menma-kun left because you've become a fallen clan," Kushina stepped in front of Menma. "If you value your men's lives, I'd suggest retreating."

"Menma? That's what you're going by now?" Shiin chuckled. "Either way…not one of you will leave here alive."

Shiin pulled out a flute and his men all drew their weapons and advanced on the group. With no choice left, the group fought back. The details of the battle are unimportant, but as all things go, it was rather one-sided. Having let their skills fall and having lost most of their skilled clan members to Orochimaru, the Shiin clan fell…

* * *

><p><em>Suna - Night<em>

The desert sun had set, leaving the full moon out in view. Yet, in a normally abandoned training ground littered with stones of all sizes, a young woman was currently there. Jouhyou in hand, she was practicing using it on a training post as part of her required weapons use class.

Letting it fly from her hand, the metal dart hit the post and bounced backwards. As her eyes caught the reflection off the dart, she froze in fear as it planted itself into the ground in front of her. The memory of that night coming back to her…

"I see you still have some reservations when it comes to weapons?" a voice called to her from above, scaring her into screaming. "Was that really necessary?"

"Ga-Gaara-sama," Matsuri stuttered, looking at the boy on top of a large stone. "Wh-what are you doing out at this time?"

"I enjoy watching the full moon…" Gaara droned. "Lately, it has been relaxing between missions and training."

"I-is it?" Matsuri stuttered.

He nodded, and the two stared at each other for what seemed like minutes. Matsuri was afraid to break eye contact and nervous. Gaara had his own thoughts as well, but was naturally stoic and quiet.

_Wh-why is he just staring at me…_she wondered, her mind still flashing through the rumors she heard. His personality had been nothing like the others said so far.

_Chiyo-baa-sama said I needed to communicate more, but how do I proceed…? _Gaara wondered. It was then another voice, the female one, whispered in his ears.

_Let her sit next to you…_the voice said. _Help her with her problem…_

"If you want…" the cork on his gourd unscrewed itself and released sand. It made a thin, but sturdy platform next to the girl. "I would not mind if you joined me…"

She hesitated for a few moments, but stepped onto the platform. It gently rose into the air, as she nervously looked around, until it placed her next to him by a few inches. She sat down slowly, making no sudden movements, and stayed quiet for a few minutes.

"So…" Gaara broke the silence, "why do you hate weapons so much?"

"…My parents were killed by weapons…" she said sadly. "Ever since then, I just can't…" Matsuri trailed off, until Gaara sighed.

"What do you see a weapon as?"Gaara asked her.

"Eh?" she looked at him, gazing at the moon. "They're used to kill, right?"

"Yes, weapons can be used to kill. As shinobi we are considered weapons to some, since it is basically our jobs, but what matters is the intention of the one behind the weapon. Your jouhyou could be used to kill if you wanted to, but instead you want to use it to bind an opponent rather than kill them. My sand could be considered the same…I could be considered the same."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Matsuri asked.

"I know what people say about me…and in the past they were right. I did not have any friends since everyone feared me despite my efforts…I had assassins constantly sent after me by my own father, and was only treated as a weapon…" Gaara kept his gaze on the moon and his voice even.

"Th-then, those rumors about you killing people…?" she flinched at the thought of some of the stories she heard.

"Yes…for all extensive purposes, I lived with killing being my sole reason for existing…" he paused for a moment. "Tell me, what do you know of jinchuuriki and the invasion attempt?"

"U-um…" she fidgeted. "I know that the invasion failed and we were tricked into acting because of the economic crisis and a missing-nin who killed your father. I've never heard of a jinchuuriki…"

"A jinchuuriki is what people like me are called…people who have chakra demons sealed inside of them. My seal was probably the weakest and my demon was probably one of the blood-thirstiest, so it began eating away at my consciousness and I could never sleep out of fear that I would be devoured…I think the fox said mine was also the least intelligent."

"_**LIES!**_" Shukaku roared from inside Gaara's mindscape. "_**I'll KILL KURAMA THE NEXT TIME I SEE HIM!**_"

"Are you serious?" Matsuri stared at him in disbelief. He nodded. "You're…and there are…more?"

"Yes. During the invasion, I ran across the container from Konoha and we battled each other. I used everything I had to validate my existence by killing him, losing myself to the bloodlust of the demon sealed within me, and he fought without losing himself to his demon or completely relying on its power…"

Gaara closed his eyes and stayed silent for a few seconds. "We discussed our pasts afterwards. Both of us have suffered things that no child or person should have suffered through. We contain powerful beings that did not ask to be bound to us, and we are hated for it. I was always being marked for death…and he was always suffering. Can you imagine what it is like to be hated for things you cannot control, alone and tormented until you can longer function as a reasonable human being?"

Matsuri thought about everything he said. If that was true, then it would explain why he acted like everyone said. "How are you better now?"

"Because of him," Gaara said with a twinge of emotion. "Despite everything that happened, he did not break and strove to protect others, showing me what it was like to never give into the hatred and suffering. I did not choose to become a weapon for Suna, and even though I am making an effort to change, some people will never see me as anything else and I have accepted that, but at least I can become a weapon that would protect those close to me…when I eventually find someone to be close to me."

"Y-you're not a weapon!" Matsuri half-yelled with her face glowing red under the moonlight, nervous about her next string of words. "And…I'll be your friend too…if you want…"

Gaara looked over to the girl and met her eyes. "…Thank you…"

Her blush intensified and she turned back to stare at the moon again. Gaara did the same, with the voice inside of him giggling somewhat. Shukaku made some rather obscene comments as well, but Gaara chose to ignore those.

Passing below in the distance, Kankuro was going on and on about how he had to rebuild the puppet Hinata destroyed, with Temari still sore from training with Chisaki, until she spied the two figures on the stone and snapped her fingers in Kankuro's face to get his attention.

"What was that for?" Kankuro asked, before looking in the direction Temari was pointing in. "…Is that Gaara…with a girl!"

"Yeah…" Temari crept closer, until she was hiding behind another big stone to avoid being seen.

"Wow…" Kankuro whistled. "The old hag was right; he is different now that his seal's been fixed."

"Yeah…and he's doing better than you in the dating department apparently." Temari snickered.

"Hey!" Kankuro nearly yelled.

"Shush!" Temari smacked him upside the head. "Are you trying to get us caught?"

Gaara sweatdropped at hearing them bicker even at the distance apart. Luckily, Matsuri hadn't developed her skills enough to have heard or sensed them. Silently releasing more sand, he sent it to the two siblings and had it make a message on the ground in front of them:

_Go away._

* * *

><p><em>Yugakure<em>

The traveling group made it past the border after having killed all of the remaining members of the Shiin clan that attacked them, having fallen so low to becoming ruthless bandits. Yet, even when dealing with bandits, they went through the effort of burying and erecting grave markers for the fallen clan, whose techniques and legacy could now only be passed on through the surviving members: Menma and Tayuya.

Menma and Sasame decided to stay with the group after leaving the Land of Sound without any problems, seeing as compared to the normal type of missing-nins they had to deal with in the Land of Sound, Naruto wasn't that bad and all he was wanted for was desertion. After they demonstrated their appearance changing seals to newbies and gave them their aliases to be used in public or crowded places until she restored Uzushio, they made their way to the Village Hidden in Hot springs…

"They actually named a hidden village by that…?" Hisako muttered in disbelief.

"Well, they aren't much of a hidden village anymore from what I've gathered," Kushina pointed out. "When I was younger, they weren't too bad as far as small villages go…although the ones that worshiped that Jashin god were…unbalanced."

Kushina hopped in front of the group and clapped her hands. "Alright kids, we're starting by going to the hospital to check out your injuries and then we'll take some time to rest. The hot springs here are good for your skin and they feel wonderful!"

"R-really?" Sasame asked.

"Yep!" Kushina chuckled like a school girl. "I could tell you about the time my husband and I came here before my boy was born. We—"

"OKAY!" Naruto interrupted out of fear of something he shouldn't hear. "Let's just get these guys to the hospital so we can make sure they're alright!"

* * *

><p><em>In the Washroom at the Spa Hotel – Later that day<em>

"Sit still!" Kushina bopped her son on the head. She was sitting on a stool, washing his hair while dressed in a robe, planning on joining the other girls in the hot springs after dealing with Naruto and his habit of not bathing thoroughly enough, which Hisako pointed out after he made one crack too many about her manly habits and speaking pattern.

The group themselves had a pretty clean bill of health and they found themselves at a spa hotel. They rented two rooms, one for the boys and one for the girls, and were set for staying for the week. They could use the break after everything…

"But I'm old enough to wash myself!" Naruto cried, the other girls giggling at the expense of the boy from the hotel room.

"We're heading to the hot springs!" Hisako yelled through the door. "Have fun squirt!"

"I'LL REMEMBER THIS!" Naruto screamed. Oh yes, revenge would be his.

After about 30 minutes of scrubbing Naruto clean, Kushina sent him on his way to his side of the hot springs when she noticed Menma in the room, staring sadly at his ocarina. Recognizing the sorrowful look in his eyes, she called out to him.

"Oh, Kushina-san…" Menma averted his eyes from the woman. "Is everything alright?"

Kushina hugged the boy and rubbed his hair gently, causing him to blush in confusion. "I'm sorry about what happened to your clan…" she apologized. "I didn't want to kill them, but they left us little choice."

"I know…" he sighed. "It's just sad that things ended that way. Although I've thrown away my past, part of me still remembers before things became so horrible."

She tightened her arms around him, like a mother embracing one of her children, to offer him some comfort. "If that's what you feel, then how about you try to restore your clan's honor by living in the present and carrying on that memory you hold dear. Just don't become obsessed about it, or push yourself into being someone you aren't and then things will get better."

He stayed silent for what seemed like ages, before finally nodding his head. "Alright."

"Good boy," she released him and went to the room door. "Now, join Naruto in the boy's side of the hot springs and relax for the rest of the day."

Kushina made her way to the women's side of the outdoor hot springs and slipped out of her robe, revealing her body to the other girls with little shame. Even though she was using the puppet as a base, the seals and materials converted it into actual flesh and bones, no different than an ordinary human's body. Dipping her toes into the hot water to test it, she lowered herself into it and sighed contently at the pleasure of the water caressing her body.

"Whoa…" Hisako whistled. "You've got a figure most women would kill for."

Sasame looked at Kushina's body and then hers, repeatedly, before sighing in defeat. She couldn't match that. Seeing the small girl's worry, Kushina chuckled softly.

"Sasame-chan," she grabbed her attention. "Give it time. I'm sure you'll develop a stunning figure that you'll be proud of…" she smiled coyly for a second and whispered in her ear. "_Maybe even one that'll grab Menma-kun's attention._"

The girl squeaked and dropped her head into the water in embarrassment. "Was I that obvious?"

Kushina smiled, while Hisako snickered. "Big time."

"Oh," Kushina looked over to the older teen. "What about you Hisako-chan?"

"Sorry," she waved her hand. "Young boys don't interest me. It may have been something I picked up from my moms, but I like older men. In fact…" Hisako moved to the edge of the hot springs and pulled out a certain orange colored book that grabbed Kushina's attention.

"Hisako-chan, where did you get that?"

"I picked it up in the hotel gift shop," she flipped through the pages to pick up where she left off. "I was looking for a romantic novel involving older men and younger women, and the cashier recommended it."

"Just don't let Naruto see it…" Kushina sighed, thinking about how she would maim Jiraiya if he corrupted another one of her kids. It was too late for Hisako, judging by how she was turning red while reading it.

"Well," Hisako got out of the water and stretched. "I think I'll head back for now…"

On the other side of the hot springs, divided by a bamboo divider, were the boys. They weren't really doing much other than relaxing and listening to some of the advice Kushina was giving the younger girls. They tuned out everything after the words "older men" came from Hisako's lips.

"Your mother is quite compassionate…" Menma acknowledged, realizing that Kushina was addressing all of the issues the group may have as a parental figure. "She treats all of us as if we were her own children."

"Mom is great like that…" Naruto nodded, when a scream tore through the bathhouse, causing him to chuckle evilly.

"Do I want to know what that was about?" Menma asked.

"Scissors, plus shadow clones, plus robe cut enough to fall apart after being put on, plus the stress from walking, equals revenge." Naruto sighed. "It's been too long since I've pranked someone anyway."

"No offense, but she seems to be the physically vengeful type…" Menma said offhandedly. "She'll get you back for it."

* * *

><p><em>An hour later - Inside the hotel room<em>

"I picked up a small job for us guarding a boat from the Land of Hot Water to the Land of the Sea," Kushina told everyone, except the beaten unconscious Naruto. "I figured we could use the extra cash, and we can go from there to Uzushio."

"It's not a problem," Menma said, taking a bite of his food. "Honest work is a blessing."

"I'm cool with it," Hisako added, chewing on a portion of fish.

"There's not much but ruins there until I get some construction workers, but the emergency shelter is big enough to fit a small village." Kushina said, as she enjoyed her Miso ramen.

"I'd like to see it still," Sasame blushed while looking at Menma, who smiled at her. "I want to learn more about seals."

"I think you'd be great," Kushina patted her on the head. "You show more potential than my own son."

"Hey!" Naruto sleep talked, before starting to snore and causing everyone to sweatdrop.

"Plus, with enough training, I think you'd make an excellent medic and maybe a sensor-nin if you used your knowledge of seals to create chakra sensitive ones," she looked over to Menma. "Menma-kun would be great at genjutsu and support using his ocarina. I'll contact a…friend, and have him get me some scrolls on sound-based genjutsu and sensor techniques."

"I guess I'd be a close-mid range fighter," Hisako pointed out. "I'm making progress with using my earth affinity, but it will take some time to get the hang of it completely…and then start on fire and water…"

"Naruto-kun would be close-mid range too then," Menma looked over to the boy. "Did you really have to knock him out like that?"

"He crossed the line!" Hisako defended. "He's lucky I had my underwear and chest wraps on before I put on my robe and headed back to my room. Otherwise I would have castrated him. "

"Let's not go that far, I still want grandchildren later on." Kushina said innocently. _That reminds me, I have to tweak his seal a bit so he can access more of the yang chakra for healing…_

For some inexplicable and probably irrelevant reason, Naruto's faced turned red upon hearing that declaration.

* * *

><p><em>Konoha – Hinata and Anko's Apartment<em>

A certain fallen princess was taking a shower after a C-rank demolition mission, when she suddenly stopped mid-scrub and blushed.

"Why do I have the feeling that Naruto-kun and I have permission to do some of those things Anko-sensei mentioned…?"

* * *

><p><em>Konoha- Hokage's Office<em>

Sarutobi sighed, before three people stepped into his office…well, two through the door, and one through the window.

"Tsunade, since you won't take the hat…yet, I want you to go and help Jiraiya and Mitarashi-san. Numerous ships have been sunk and people have been reporting monster sightings between the Land of Sea and the Land of Fire. Mitarashi-san has previous experience in the location and will guide you," he caught the look in Anko's eye, "I know, but that's the reason this is bothering me and you know the area."

Anko sighed. "Understood…"

Sarutobi allowed her to leave, and once she was gone Tsunade asked, "What's the reason?"

"The reason this bothers me is because one of Orochimaru's labs was there in the past, and given his usual experimentations…"

"You think he's been hiding there?" Tsunade finished.

The old man nodded solemnly.

* * *

><p><em>Between the Land of Hot Water and Land of the Sea<em>

On the boat of the owner that hired Kushina, the Uzushio kids were practicing various activities while keeping an eye out of for the mysterious Kaima attacking ships.

Menma was learning a new song that cast a genjutsu similar to tree binding death practiced in Konoha, while Hisako was working on infusing her Demon Wind Shuriken with earth chakra and tossing it across the open sea, watching it split the surface of the water in half as it passed by, before she tugged on a chakra string to pull it back like a wire. It snapped on the tug due to her lack of chakra control and the huge shuriken narrowly missed her and embedded itself into the boat deck, earning her a yelling from the captain.

Sasame was studying some of the basic seals from scrolls that Kushina had given her, and Naruto was sleeping on the deck of the boat. Kushina was working on making a barrier with her chains in a complete sphere, having learned from experience that only covering the top half wasn't enough against enemies who could strike from below.

All in all, it was an ordinary and peaceful trip over the sea to—BOOM!

_Well, so much for peaceful…_Kushina thought.

"The Kaima is attacking!" one of the deckhands yelled while running, eventually tripping over a sleeping Naruto and waking him up.

"Whut…?" he mumbled, watching the spout of water in the distance. A figure was speeding towards the boat at an extreme speed. Blowing past the boat, it rocked severely and sent several men overboard when the waves washed over the deck.

Kushina stood on top of the highest part of the boat, and extending her hands towards the general area the Kaima was speeding through. Numerous smaller chains sprouted and threw themselves at the creature, which dodged them as they impacted the water, avoiding getting tangled by them. Seeing that she would have no chance of hitting something so agile that hid below the surface, she instead used the chains to grab the men overboard.

The Kaima froze in the water, noticing the chains assisting the men in the water, before seemingly deciding to retreat. It turned, and it was then that a chakra chain wrapped around its body. It took off at full speed.

"Check it out!" Naruto tugged on the chakra chain from his hands, managing to hook the Kaima when it turned to flee. "I hooked a big—WHOA!" While gloating, he forgot to apply chakra to the bottom of his feet to keep him tethered to the boat and was pulled over the railing and into water, dragging him far out of sight.

"It's got the squirt!" Hisako snapped. "It's getting away!"

"Calm down," Kushina told her. "Acting irrationally won't help us."

"But…" Sasame stepped up. "We still have to find Naruto-kun."

"I can find him no matter where he goes," Kushina chirped, creating a shadow clone that started running across the water in their direction. "Right now, we need to complete the job and ensure everyone else is safe."

"Is that a mother's instinct?" Hisako asked sarcastically.

"Perhaps," Kushina stuck her tongue out playfully. In truth, she had marked him with a tracking seal that she etched onto his spiritual body using _Yin Style: Phantasmal Markings_ while he slept after he disappeared for two days in Yugakure. He apparently decided to earn some more money for rebuilding the village by gambling at all the casinos he could in that time period under a new appearance that they didn't know about using the seal…

They're about 300 million ryo closer to their goals, and he's banned from all Yugakure casinos, with a warning out to all the casinos in the Land of Hot Water…now if only he used clones in the process…

It may have been a little invasive, but a mother worries about her son. Especially when they have a group of S-rank missing-nin after them.

Naruto skidded along the water on his feet at least halfway towards the island ahead of the boat, begging the Kaima to slow down, until the Kaima made a sharp turn and flung him across the water and into a rock. The chain dissipated as he fell unconscious and into the water. The Kaima swam away for a few meters, before looking back and seeing him sinking into the cold depths. It swam beneath him, hoisting him to the surface, and taking him away before he could drown.

* * *

><p><em>Land of Sea – Orochimaru's Base<em>

"So, you're still here after all this time?" a young man with glasses addressed researcher. "Orochimaru-sama will want answers, Amachi-san."

"Kabuto-sama, I felt that my research may still benefit Orochimaru-sama, so I continued. It is all out of my loyalty to him."

"I wonder if that's true…" Kabuto shifted his glasses. "Show me your progress notes."

Amachi did, and Kabuto skimmed over it briefly, reading the important notes and facts.

"It is proceeding a bit nicely after all," Kabuto smirked. "How long until the final version is done?"

"It should be a day or two," Amachi told him. "After that, I simply need to dispose of the earlier subject."

"To be safe," Kabuto snapped his fingers, and two Oto-nins appeared next to him. "These men will serve as your guards and assistants until you finish the final version of the Kaima transformation. Your research may benefit Orochimaru after all."

"I'm grateful," he said. His thoughts were different. _I'll kill him, them, and you too once I'm done._

* * *

><p><em>Land of the Sea – Small Hut<em>

Naruto awoke to the sight of a wooden ceiling, the sound of water dripping into more water in his ear. He looked over to see a girl wrapped in bandages squeezing a rag over a bucket and then laying it on his head. His outer laying of clothing was hanging from a hanger off the wall, and a fire could be spied from beyond the opened door.

Grabbing the bucket, the girl let the room Naruto laid in, and darkness overcame him once again.

* * *

><p><em>Outside the Small Hut – Afternoon, Next Day<em>

Kushina's clone stared from the cliff overseeing the vandalized hut where her son had been taken. Once she arrived, she created a clone and then dispelled it to send the information to the original. She had a few hours' worth of chakra left, so until then she would continue to watch over him and the girl.

Considering the girl lived so isolated from everyone and how she lived, Kushina's clone figured she was undergoing some kind of exile…and it pissed her off. After what Naruto went through, she simply couldn't stand the thought of any child suffering like that.

"Hm?" Kushina noticed several children approaching the hut and hiding behind the rocks. The girl covered in bandages, wearing simple light blue clothes, walked out of her hut with Naruto, and they picked up small stones. "They wouldn't…"

"Here comes the monster!" one of them screamed, as they raised their arms to throw the stones. The first stone flew towards her…and was cut in half by Naruto's Nine-Tailed Fan in its blade form, streaming chakra.

"What the hell do you think you're doing you brats!" Naruto snarled.

"She's a monster!" another one said, causing Naruto to wince at a past memory. "We don't want her here!" Stupidly, they all threw stones and Naruto unleashed a wall of wind to block them with his fan, before chains popped out of the ground and wrapped around the brats.

"Who told you had the right to attack someone who was simply living their lives?" Kushina's clone's voice came from behind them. It was followed by five minutes of screams and cries, as she introduced their backsides to her hand, before they took off whining.

"Mom!" Naruto ran up to the clone and hugged her.

"I'm only a clone," she said, but patted him on the head before turning to the girl. "Thank you for saving my son. May I have your name?"

"Isaribi," she responded, pausing for a moment. "Why did you help me?"

"They had no right to do that," the clone answered.

"I'm the girl who was spirited away and returned, a monster," she said. "It's only natural that they act like that around me."

"But that isn't your fault," Naruto replied. "You aren't a monster because others call you that!"

"People will never accept something that is different from them…that's why…" she trailed off when a horse and messenger passed by, before starting to walk off without saying anything.

"Mom," Naruto frowned. "She's…"

"Suffering, just like you are," Kushina agreed. "People are like that, not everyone will accept you for who you are. She…probably doesn't have anyone else…"

"Can we…bring her with us?" Naruto asked.

"It'll be up to her, but for now we need to bring you to the original so the others will stop worrying. Make a shadow clone and transform it into something small enough to follow her."

Naruto did so, and the two of them made their way to port while the shadow clone followed her stealthily. It followed her until a hidden cove, where it witnessed her transformation into the Kaima, as scales grew and overlaid her skin. She shuddered in disgust at what she had become, embracing herself tightly, before heading into the water.

The shadow clone dissipated and sent the information back to the original.

* * *

><p><em>With the Uzushio Group<em>

"Naruto-kun, you're okay!" Menma and Sasame smiled at his return.

"Told you I can find him," Kushina smirked at Hisako.

"So, what did I miss?" Naruto chuckled nervously.

"They want us to eliminate the Kaima. The ship we came on made it, but they fear the outgoing ship will be attacked next." Hisako told him. "Did you see where it dragged you off to before?"

"I don't remember after I hit something hard and wo—" Naruto paused mid-sentence, as the dispelled memories entered his mind. He walked over to his mother and whispered in her ears. "_The Kaima is…_"

Kushina's eyes widened.

* * *

><p>Canon Jutsu:<p>

Slicing Sound Wave – Creates supersonic blasts of pressurized air from air tubes in the hands.

Supersonic Slicing Wave – Creates a massive gust of cutting wind, it is capable of wiping out everything in its path.

Non-Canon Jutsu:

Sealing Art: Nine Tails Binding – Kushina lays out a defensive perimeter with nine kunai that have chakra receptors and store her chakra chains inside. When a tenth is thrown and hit by a jutsu, it registers that chakra and transmits it back to the nine receptors. Anything with the same chakra signature that enters the perimeter is captured.

Chakra Chain: Web – The chains form a web like shape and are used to catch rather than capture.

* * *

><p>Notes:<p>

Okay, we have Sasame and Menma from the Land of Sound joining the party. I planned on Sasame entering the team early on, but then I found out about Menma and decided to add him in too, since I needed an extra male to balance out the group and his abilities are useful too. Isaribi will join next chapter.

Did anyone else find it weird that Gaara's mom was essentially playing match maker at this point?

So, after the next few arcs we'll hit the Chuunin Exams in Kiri and have two teams from Uzushio if my plans don't change.

_Planned Team Setup_

Uzushio Team 1:

Naruto (Close-Mid Ranged Fighter)

Hisako (Mid-Long Ranged Fighter)

Sasame (Sensor-Medic)

Uzushio Team 2:

Isaribi (Close-Mid Ranged Fighter)

Haku (Close-Mid Ranged Fighter-Medic w/Herbs)

Menma (Support w/ Seals, Genjutsu)


	9. Chapter 7: Arrival of the Sannin

Advent of the Spiraling Ninja

Chapter 7: Arrival of the Sannin

_With Isaribi_

Isaribi's head peeked out of the water, as she observed a boat heading towards the Land of Fire. It was a good distance from the islands this time, and while there were plenty of rocky outcrops, there were no other boats around either. The crew was a small number, and there didn't appear to be any shinobi on board to stop her, but she couldn't see inside the ship itself.

This was the perfect spot to sink the ship, but in the process the crew on board would probably drown.

It was unfortunate, but at this point she had come too far to go back.

A little further, a little more time, and she could be completely human again. It was all she had left now, a simple dream of having a normal body without these patches of scales. To accomplish one's own dreams, they must crush the dreams of others, and if necessary, their lives.

"I'm sorry…" she muttered, knowing her actions were selfish and had cost the lives of dozens of others already. Her hands were stained with blood, and it wouldn't wash out.

Was that why she saved the blonde-haired boy then? Some form of atonement? A hope that he wouldn't treat her like a monster if she saved him?

Yes, he treated her kindly, and his mother defended her from the kids, but they didn't know what she was. She was the Kaima, merely wearing a human skin at the time. She couldn't go back from what she was before; she could only swim in the sea tinted the color of blood.

So why did tears emerge from her eyes as her head sunk beneath the waves once again and she muttered, "I'm sorry…" again and again.

Cutting through the water, she advanced on the ship and was prepared to send it to the depths. Beneath her was a scarlet colored school of fish seemingly trying to keep up with her, as if racing to get to the boat first. She paid them no mind since she was only three seconds away from accomplishing her objective.

The crimson school exploded in a puff of smoke and revealed several Kushina clones, all holding their breaths with arms extended. One vanished, and the rest had chains emerge from their outstretched hands and entrapped her despite her best efforts to escape. Forcing the chains to the surface, Isaribi was thrown above the surface and into the air, falling down to meet the original…

* * *

><p><em>With the Uzushio Group<em>

"So," Hisako started off from inside the boat that Isaribi was planning to sink. "You want us to stay out of sight while you try to reason with the Kaima?"

"Yep!" Kushina told her while she stood at the entrance to the inside of the boat.

Naruto was behind her and planned to assist in convincing Isaribi to stop sinking boats and possibly join them. He seemed feral since he visited her home earlier and saw that the village brats had gone too far and tried to burn it down while she was away…

They were currently tied up to a tree. Upside down. In their underwear.

The deckhands were too scared to approach so they didn't bother with hiding their identities.

Sasame was nervously playing with her chakra strings by attaching them to a kunai and then pulling it up and down to test the tension limit. She wished she had enough chakra to use clones to help like Naruto, Kushina, or Hisako. Out of them all, she had the lowest amount but the best control next to Kushina and Menma.

"Why?" Hisako just had to ask. "Isn't it just a monster?"

"Not necessarily," Menma chimed in before Naruto snarled at the comment. "The fact that Naruto-kun is alive means that it went out of its way to save him given his recollection of the event. It is possible that this Kaima might be a shinobi with a bloodline-limit rather than an actual monster. The Land of Sound had many people of such attributes."

"Hisako-chan, how someone looks on the outside shouldn't be what determines how they are treated. You and I should know because of our hair and pasts." Kushina smiled at her.

The gears in Hisako's head turned until they reached a conclusion. "You've met who the Kaima really is haven't you?" Kushina nodded. "I get where this is going—cliché befriending."

"Good." Kushina smirked. "Naruto and I will try to convince her to stop and possibly come with us. That'll solve both problems."

"I'd be more convinced if the squirt didn't look like he was going to tear out someone's throat," she pointed to Naruto.

"Naruto has issues when it comes to people being treated as monsters for stupid reasons." Kushina put it lightly.

"W-will it be safe though?" Sasame asked. "Shouldn't we accompany you?"

"It'll be fine," Naruto told her. "She might be nervous if all of us suddenly appeared at once, but she's already met mom and me. We can…relate to things like this easier. Plus, I saw Mom make two more jutsu sealing scrolls so she might be prepared for anything that can happen."

"Actually, those are for…explosively hostile situations, not making friends…" she chuckled. "I'll probably teach Sasame-chan since she's still closer to learning than you are and lacks your brute strength…"

It was then that one of the Kushina clone's memories returned. Kushina left to boat and jumped onto the water's surface before making hand seals. Isaribi in her Kaima form was hoisted out of the water by the clones and launched towards the original.

"Water Style: Water Prison!" Kushina held out her hands and sealed her inside a ball of water that levitated above the surface. Isaribi felt heavy and kept her head down, not wanting to be seen as a monster by the woman who helped earlier.

Naruto landed next to her after leaving his clones to usher the deckhands inside. They didn't want her to be recognized by anyone who might want revenge. He looked at Isaribi's form without malice or hatred.

"Isaribi-chan," Kushina said lightly and the girl's heart skipped a beat. "I know it's you. I don't want to hurt you, but I do want to know your reasons for everything."

"How…?" she asked dumbfounded.

"Naruto was worried about you and followed you. You haven't dealt with too many shinobi, have you? We were hired to get rid of the Kaima—"

_So they plan on killing me after all,_ a hopeless dread caused her to smirk at her demise. It was a fitting end to a monster.

"—but considering all things, instead we'd like to hear your story about how this occurred. After that, we want to take you with us if your reasons are sound."

"Huh?" she blurted out confused.

"We're planning on restoring our village," Naruto chimed in. "We want you to join us."

"After we found out about your transformation, I had my clones gather information on why you were treated like you were. If they knew it was you sinking ships, they would've killed you." Kushina closed her eyes. "Tell me everything about how you were spirited away."

So, as the boat drifted further away, Isaribi told them her tale. How she was spirited away and then released, only to be shunned. How the very man that did this to her said he would cure her if she did what he said. How she took lives for her own selfish goals…

"Right…" Kushina was seething to the point she had been so angry she failed to notice a certain other redhead's shadow clone looking at the trio from behind a rocky outcropping. It had been practicing her chakra string-shuriken technique and had finally gotten the hang of it. "Okay, let's go and see this bastard who did this and get him to turn you back before I send him to the Shinigami's gut."

"Why help me?" her form slowly receded back to normal and Kushina let the water prison drop. "I'm just a murderer—a monster!"

"Just because of what you are on the outside doesn't make you a monster. I can relate to your situation." Naruto told her bluntly.

"HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND?" she yelled.

Naruto signed. "To be called a monster when you never wanted to hurt anyone, driven away and hunted by people just because you're different, beaten and abused. The one who manipulated you into everything is the real monster, abusing your trust like that."

Naruto shook his head and looked down. "Because I—"

Naruto never finished as both he and his mother were forced to separate when the two Oto-nins appeared from beneath the surface of the water. Kushina reacted and had her chains attempt to bind them, but the bastards were too fast. Naruto met with the same conclusion when he couldn't stop Isaribi from being taken after they rammed their fist into her stomach to render her unconscious.

His whisker marks had darkened and swelled substantially, bloodlust settled in.

"Naruto, control yourself!" Kushina told him. "We know where they'll be taking her."

Naruto growled and fell on all fours on top of the water. He ran like a beast towards the island he knew they had taken her to. Kushina swore under breath and sent a shadow clone to go with the kids on the boat while she chased after Naruto and Isaribi.

Hisako's shadow clone dispersed.

* * *

><p><em>With Hisako<em>

Hisako just received the information from her shadow clone and eyed the rest of their little family. Kushina's clone would be there in roughly three minutes. Now she had to decide if she should act now or leave the rest up to those two, who were heading into dangerous territory…

"Squirts!" she called out to the Naruto clones. "Go to the deck and look for the originals!"

"Why do we—" she cut off the clone.

"Just go! Given how things have been going lately, and your luck with these things, for all you know things might have escalated!"

"Well, she may have a point…" one of the clones grumbled and the rest followed him out to the deck.

"Menma, Sasame, we have a problem." Hisako whispered into their ears, not wanting the clones to hear even from outside. "The original pair encountered two of those guys from Oto and went after the Kaima that's actually a girl."

"Are you certain?" the gentle boy asked.

She nodded. "Shadow clone I had made before we left too far confirmed it. Normally I wouldn't be worried with those two, but I'm getting a bad feeling. Kushina sent a clone, but I'd feel better if I could go help."

"Then, you'll need a distraction?" Menma guessed.

"W-Won't it be better if we all go then?" Sasame added in.

"Good point." Hisako smirked. "We'll act as a 3-man team. But first we need to turn this boat around. You've learned the _Zelda's Lullaby_ genjutsu haven't you? Can you control the sound waves to be directed into the deck hands ears alone?

"Avoid the clones and the captain for now. Once we get to the main island, we'll go after them to Demon Island."

"Alright," Menma pulled out his ocarina and began to play a nostalgic tune.

* * *

><p><em>Land of the Sea – Mother Island<em>

The Konoha group had made their way to the main island after a long trip. Along the way Anko's memories had returned and she had passed out. Surprisingly, Jiraiya didn't do anything perverted.

"What's wrong with that ship?" Jiraiya asked a random dockworker.

"Who knows?" the dockworker said. "Some of the deckhands fell ill and wouldn't wake up so they were bought back. Since the ship captain couldn't work without a crew, they're halted until everyone is back to normal—hopefully by the end of the day so they can make it to the Land of Hot Water in time. The shinobi on board decided to use the time to go where they believe the Kaima was heading."

Jiraiya shot Tsunade a glance.

Tsunade scoffed. "Fine, I'll look at them."

_This isn't an illness, it's a genjutsu…_Tsunade figured out and dispelled it before meeting with the ship captain. "Who did you say you hired to help guard the ship?"

"It was a woman traveling with a bunch of young shinobi," the captain rubbed his beard. "They were pretty good at fending off the Kaima the first time it came around with the chains that came out of nowhere. When we left this time, the short boy made a bunch of solid clones and helped the deckhands out."

Tsunade and Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.

"Well…" Tsunade sighed. "Your crew should feel better by now. We were sent by the Hokage to take care of the Kaima ourselves so it should be safe to travel again…but could you tell us where the other shinobi are."

"There's a few of them now," he pointed to the kids, who were running on water in the distance.

* * *

><p><em>With Naruto and Kushina<em>

Naruto and Kushina halted their advance into the base upon receiving an influx of memories.

"The boat got turned around…" Kushina started.

"My clones were hit by a genjutsu and then destroyed." Naruto added in.

"I'm sure it was Menma-kun who cast the genjutsu," Kushina sighed. "They had the boat turned around…we have to wrap this up before they get involved."

The pair ran down the corridor and into a large room with several tubes filled with greenish fluid that housed lifeless bodies of several Kaima. At the end of the room was a pair of steel double doors and a lone figure hidden in the shadows. Stepping closer, they made out the figure's features.

"Isaribi-nee," Naruto stopped in the middle of the room with his mother. "You're okay!"

"Why…?" she had tears in her eyes. "WHY DID YOU COME HERE?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kushina told her. "I told you we'd help you."

"You can't, he's the only one who can…the one who did this to me…"

"Isaribi-chan, we can—"

"I'm sorry…" Isaribi interrupted as she pulled the rope that hanged above.

The floor beneath the pair opened and they began their decent. Kushina grabbed Naruto and tossed him back up through the hole before the trap door closed.

"Mom!" Naruto yelled to no avail. The steel doors closed and locked behind Isaribi. "Isaribi-nee! Don't!"

The walls on the right and left rose with slow grating of steel. Three chimeras stalked towards the jinchuuriki from each side. Low grumbles and snarls were directed towards the boy, whose pupils had become slits.

"Get out **of my way**…" Naruto's foul mood exploded while a figure watched hidden from sight.

* * *

><p><em>With the Uzushio Group<em>

"They came this way…" Hisako looked into the entrance.

"S-should we have f-followed them here?" Sasame asked.

"We've already come this far," Menma lightly grabbed her shoulder. "We'll be fine if we stick together."

"Alright…" Sasame nodded.

As the trio made their way inside, they failed to see a certain snake's right-hand man with silver hair and glasses. He watched them enter the island with mild interest. Of all the people there, a certain orange haired kunoichi caught his attention.

"Well now, this will be interesting…" he mused.

* * *

><p><em>With Kushina<em>

_Stupid trapdoor separated me from Naruto…_Kushina rubbed her forehead. _I can track him after I get out of here._

The sound of a foot tapping on the ground was the only warning she received before she rolled forward and summoned a kunai into her hand. She narrowly avoided having her head snipped off by one of two scissor pincers wielded by an Oto-nin. Her hair was once again not so lucky.

"What is with cutting my hair?" Kushina threw the kunai at the shinobi. "Do you know how long it takes to grow it out and still be able to kick ass as a kunoichi?"

"Hehe…" the man snickered as he batted it away. "That's the purpose of scissors after all. But if it makes you feel any better, I was originally going for your head. It is quite marvelous and I find myself wanting to add it to my persevered collection."

"Collection?" Kushina shuddered as she noticed markings etching their way across his arm.

"My name is Kanchou 'Head Hunter' Masumi," his body was swallowed by the cursed mark and took the form of a half-human rock scorpion with large scissor pincers for hands and an even larger one as a tail. "**I amassed quite a bounty during my time in Iwa before I arrived in the Land of Sound.**"

"That poses a problem then…" Kushina muttered.

"**Fear not,**" he snipped his pincers. "**I shall preserve your beauty eternally as a work of art among my finest.**"

"I was referring to whether should send your preserved body back to Iwa for the bounty or Konoha to investigate the cursed mark."

"_**RAAAAAAAGGGGGHHH!**_" a demonic howl echoed throughout the island.

Kushina's face paled. "Naruto!"

"**Ah, that blonde boy who came in with you?**" he snipped his pincers again. "**I imagine the chimeras would be devouring him about now if my partner hasn't made a move yet. Such as shame since** **he somewhat reminds me of the Yellow Flash. His head would have made an excellent trophy…**"

"…You've just said the wrong thing." Kushina swiped at a seal on her clothing and two jutsu sealing scrolls popped out. She unraveled them with a single arcing motion and chains burst from within by the dozens, turning the area into a jungle…with just as many explosive tags dangling from the chains.

"Die," a barrier was erected around Kushina, and countless explosions turned the sealed room into a death box.

* * *

><p><em>With Naruto<em>

Crimson claws flashed.

A howl echoed throughout the hidden base.

A single tail had formed.

Draped in a cloak of crimson chakra he stood in the room with the walls painted with the viscera of the chimeras that believed themselves to be predators, only to discover they were at the bottom of the food chain. Their blood and innards painted the room a multicolored scene that belonged in a horror story.

Yet, despite the fact that he had killed the chimeras and was cloaked in power…Naruto was struggling.

"I'll bet my partner's done with that woman who fell earlier…your mother wasn't it?" an effeminate man mocked Naruto in hopes of anger release more of the tainted chakra. "He has a habit of cutting off the heads of his prey."

Naruto snarled. His crimson chakra boiled over and sprouted a second tail. He rushed at the man. His sharpened claws were ready to rend the man to pieces as it had done the chimeras.

"Your chakra…It's wonderful," the man said before extending his palms…and revealed a double-diamond mark. "Dark Style: Inhaling Maw."

The top diamond glowed as it intercepted Naruto in mid-swing around his wrist and began to drink the tainted chakra of the fox. The cloak was completely swallowed and Naruto was exposed as the man planted his foot into Naruto stomach before aiming his palms at the boy.

"Dark Style: Judgment." The bottom marks lit up and unleashed a light blue flame that engulfed him. Naruto was slammed against the wall and left in a deepening crater until the flames died and he skid down onto the ground short of breath.

The man grabbed Naruto by throat and began to drink from his inner reserves of chakra. "Does it hurt? I'm sorry, but my bloodline-limit has left me with a deep craving for chakra. It's a curse for having access to Dark Style techniques."

The sound of countless explosions came from below and there was a flash in the air.

The darkness-using Oto-nin released Naruto from his grip as a large piece of metal nearly severed his arms and came around again, causing him to leap further back. The weapon landed in the hands of a pissed off red-head who ran to the side of the man's meal with the two others in tow.

"Hisako-ane…" the boy muttered.

"Sorry we're late squirt!" she told. "Can you stand?"

"He stole a lot of my own chakra as well as…" he trailed off.

"That red chakra, we saw it but now's not the time. You can explain later if you want to."

Naruto hesitated but nodded.

The darkness-user took a good luck at his interloper's hair and chuckled. "An Uzumaki…how rare. Your kind has some of the best chakra I've tasted…The last time I had one of yours was this tasty morsel named Karin I believe. The vitality that your clan has is simply delicious, if Orochimaru-sama hadn't stopped me, I would have drained her bone dry. That boy probably has some Uzumaki in him, but that secondary chakra of his was so hot, thick, and dark, I couldn't help but want more than my fill…"

"Let's see how you like taste of steel!" Hisako rushed forward with kunai in hand.

The darkness-user pulled out two collapsible spikes and advanced as well and the clashing of steel rang throughout the room as the two shinobi danced a waltz of battle. He swung the tip of the right to spike to cut across Hisako's eyes which she avoided by lowering her head and pressing forward to get inside his guard.

Hisako's kunai flashed as they targeted her enemy's throat and thigh—both were aimed at a major artery. She missed when he reversed the grip on one of the spikes and attempted to stab her through the temple of her head while thrusting the other towards the center of chest. She had to roll to the left in order to avoid death.

Before she could recover the Oto-nin leaped into the air and descended towards her with both spikes ready to run her through. Hisako tossed her kunai towards his forehead and he changed his trajectory to land to the side and planted a kick into her abdomen that slammed her through one of the broken glass tubes and tore at her back as she went rolled on the ground.

He charged with spikes raised and prepared to impale her when green chakra strings attached to them. Sasame jerked the strings and they snapped almost instantly. Luckily they deflected the spikes from running Hisako through narrowly to just scraping her, and created an opening that Hisako took and kicked him away from her.

"MENMA!" Hisako yelled as she winced at the liquid heat going down her back. "I NEED A BOOST!"

"I'll play the Bolero of Fire!" Menma placed his ocarina up to his lips and began his tune.

His song reverberated in Hisako's ears. Her chakra flared and became a thin layer of rising streamers; a folded Demon Wind Shuriken adorned her; she charged once again at a speed unlike before.

Hisako swung the weapon in a left-diagonal motion while streaming earth chakra through it. It met the first spike and shattered the weak metal with ease. Using the momentum earned, she bought up her back leg and performed a back crescent kick to his face that shattered the second spear and hit him hard enough to make him stumble back while she unfolded the shuriken.

"Die!" she threw the Demon Wind Shuriken at him in an attempt to bisect him.

His cursed marked activated and swallowed his body. His skin became midnight black; his hair turned blanket white; his teeth became elongated fangs; a smile crept across his face as he slammed his fist into the Demon Wind Shuriken and shattered it.

He jumped at Hisako and his fangs bit into her throat and drained the chakra flowing through her body. The sensational taste of the Uzumaki's chakra was marvelous and he savored as she slowly stopped struggling due to near immediate exhaustion.

_I'm almost completely wiped out in seconds…_Hisako gasped as breathing became harder. _Just how much chakra does the squirt have to last this long?_

"LET HER GO!" Naruto yelled as he swung down his Nine-Tailed Fan in the blade form in an attempt to kill. His strike was intercepted as the man raised his other arm and sucked the chakra streaming from the blade before tossing Hisako into the boy.

"Hisako! Naruto-kun!" Menma yelled as he tossed a kunai with an explosive seal on it at the man and watched as the explosion consumed the darkness-user. He and Sasame rushed over to the two of them and noticed that Hisako was in a pretty bad condition. The back of her clothing was stained deep red and thoroughly wet while she was starting to go pale.

"_**Such naughty children,**_" the cursed-marked man emerged unharmed from the flames and rushed forward towards Menma who threw several kunai that were avoided until he got close enough to slam him head first into ground. He then back handed Sasame into the wall. The two support units were swatted and he dove for Naruto while ignoring the injured Hisako.

The fangs were nearing Naruto's neck when Hisako extended her arm which was bit clean into. She thrust a kunai directly into his eye using her other hand as hard as she could. It went in far until the brain was punctured and death came.

He fell dead now as Sasame and Menma returned to their senses.

"Hisako-ane!" Naruto cried as he looked over his paling sister-figure.

"Squirt…go after the girl you came in for…" Hisako wheezed as her hand fell limply. "Otherwise…this will have…been for nothing!"

"But—" Naruto was interrupted by the sound of a feminine scream coming from further inside.

"GO!" Hisako yelled. "Sasame can heal me! Your moms taught her!"

"I—" Hisako shot a near murderous glare at her. "I-I can do!" Sasame performed seals and began healing it as best she could, but they both knew it was above her skill level at the moment.

Naruto hesitated for awhile and then nodded before leaving; unaware Hisako lied to get him going.

Kabuto watched the entire spectacle from behind entrance doors.

_Well, the boy is probably concussed, the Uzumaki is bleeding out, and Sasame-chan isn't much of a threat…Should I make my move now or…_his thoughts trailed off until an explosion caused a once hidden trap door to fly open.

A chain shot to roof and speared deeply into the solid stone. The chain tensed and retraced, hauling up a certain red-haired kunoichi with shorter hair than before. She landed next to the kids and took one look at Hisako's condition before she looked positively murderous.

"Why did you kids follow us?" Kushina kneeled and began to work on Hisako's injuries.

"The squirt…" Hisako wheezed. "Further ahead…girl screamed…"

Kushina created twenty shadow clones. "Go find Naruto and Isaribi-chan while I treat Hisako!"

The clones took off while Kushina created five more to work on the kids and a chakra chain barrier to protect them in case more enemies came.

_I doubt I can through that barrier…_Kabuto decided to use the _Hiding in Camouflage_ technique to trail the clones. _Uzumakis are really interesting…_

"Hisako…what on earth were you thinking?" Kushina chastised the girl. "I know it must've been you who convinced those two into coming here after us and looked what happened!"

"I had a bad feeling…if we hadn't…the squirt would've died." Hisako told her. "You guys are like family to me and I'd already lost one…"

"You shouldn't have been so damn head strong…" Kushina plopped a pill in the girl's mouth. "This plasma pill will kick in and help restore the lost blood, but you won't be fighting again for some time otherwise the injury will reopen."

The group was treated in silence until Kushina received the memories of a clone. "Crap, you all stay here while—"

"If we split up things will go to hell and back again," Hisako pointed out which Kushina mumbled it probably would.

"All you stay with me!" Kushina said after she finished up on Hisako and had her clones carry the kids. "We're getting my son and Isaribi-chan and getting the hell out of here!"

* * *

><p><em>With Isaribi<em>

The girl laid on the ground broken and injured as pain surged through body and her features went into their human form as Naruto and the clones arrived and took in the craters in the wall and floor from high pressured water attacks.

"You son of a bitch!" Naruto snarled at seeing her like that.

"She attacked me," Amachi stated simply while in his Kaima form. "I fought back."

"You…" Isaribi broke down crying. "You said you could turn me back…I did everything you asked…I-I _killed_ people for you…"

The clones swamped the girl while running _Mystic Palm_ over her body in hopes of repairing the damage done.

"I consider the fact that I was going to finish her mercy." the man chuckled. "She can't be cured and her hands are stained with as much blood as mine. Death is all she could hope for, no one will miss a monster like her."

Isaribi wept silently as she lost her reason for living so far. The world around her shattered, now that the single belief she held onto was now gone. She was about to attempt to brush Kushina's shadow clones away and resign to her fate, when a clone spoke up and Naruto stepped forward.

"The only monster here is you," Kushina's clone glared at him with hatred in her eyes. "Manipulating a child with false promises into taking the lives of others, and then claiming she was to blame and planning to dispose of her afterwards. You may have the flesh of a human, but you're the biggest monster in this room."

"Well, I won't deny I'm a monster. But unlike her I can transform back and forth perfectly…as for who's the biggest monsters, you should meet my employers—"

There was a red flash. Naruto stood where Amachi once was, his fist clenched and outstretched. Further ahead of him was Amachi who was pulling himself out of the wall.

"_**I'll kick your ass…**_" Naruto growled. His eyes turned red and his pupils became slits. "_**I promise you that!**_"

"Sorry, but he's still needed…" a voice came from behind Naruto, along with the sound of all the spare shadow clones dispelling, and he turned…only for a chakra scalpel covered palm to gently touched over his heart. The world shook for Naruto, and his heart ached and palpitated while his fox features receded.

There stood three Kabutos. Two were actually corpses that were altered and manipulate through the _Dead Soul_ technique and had access to chakra scalpels. He summoned them from a scroll while watching the banter between them.

"I've just severed the Aorta artery from your heart and tore—" Kabuto was interrupted by the original Kushina introducing his face to her fist. It slammed into his head and launched him into a wall.

Kushina spun with her Whirlpool Yo-Yo cut through the moving corpses before she grabbed her son who had fell to his knees and went through hand signs to run a diagnostic over his heart while more clones began working on Isaribi and setting the kids next to her.

_If I release the full extent of the Yang chakra seal then the fox should be able to reattach the severed arteries and the other damage he sustained, but he won't be able to access the fox's chakra for a couple of days_. Kushina figured while her finger tips were aflame with chakra as she slammed them into the seal and twisted; a second layer over writ it with a tribal design and golden chakra washed over Naruto's body.

_Aorta repaired barely, excess internal bleeding being taken care of by the fox…anemia from the severing is going to be a problem…_Kushina pulled out a plasma pill and placed it in his mouth. "Naruto, chew and swallow the pill."

Naruto did so, when someone else decided to use the opening they gave him.

"Water Style: Large Projectile!" Amachi spat out a blast of water.

Kushina held her son in a defensive manner and placed the Whirlpool Yo-Yo in front to intercept. The blast slammed into the main body of the weapon with enough force that it launched her and the kneeling jinchuuriki through the solid stone wall with the Kaima-man following after them.

Which left the injured kids and clones with Kabuto…

"Well, well, if it isn't Sasame-chan?" Kabuto pulled himself out of the wall. "You're a naughty girl running away after betraying Orochimaru-sama like that. It seems like the duty of returning you for punishment must fall onto me."

The clones rushed to assault the man who unraveled a scroll holding two more modified corpses that he activated the _Dead Soul_ technique on and they sprinted forward with hands covered in chakra scalpels.

They tore through the clones at the front while the others used kunai with explosive tags to take out the legs and prevent the corpses from moving. The real Kabuto followed the corpses with even more brutal efficiency, avoiding chakra chains as he carved through the remaining clones with the agility of a jounin.

Sasame was frozen in fear as he made his way towards her slowly once finished with Kushina's clones. Menma pulled out a kunai and stood in front of her in a defensive crouch with Hisako's hand on a spare Demon Wind Shuriken.

"Who the hell is the pretty boy?" Hisako asked Sasame before shooting a glance at Menma. "Pretty boy #2 I mean."

"H-he's Orochimaru's personal assistant, Kabuto…" she trembled. "I think he's a medic-nin…"

"I find it interesting that you've all gathered around a jinchuuriki like Naruto-kun," Kabuto tilted his glasses. "Normally they're isolated and loathed."

"Jinchuuriki?" Menma asked.

"It means 'Power of Human Sacrifice' and is a term given to those who have chakra demons sealed inside of them," he answered honestly. "He houses the Kyuubi that attacked Konoha."

The group looked momentarily stunned before Hisako shook her head. "Who cares? It's not like the boy ever acted like a demon around me? He's still getting use to killing for self-defense!"

"Why are you telling us this?" Menma asked.

"I wondered how you would react…I've heard of Naruto's reputation during my stay in the village—mostly the people cheering that the demon ran off—and found it interesting that he still came to the defense of the village that abused him…" his eyes turned cold. "Either way, my curiosity is sated. Now, I must take Sasame-chan back to Orochimaru-sama for her punishment."

Sasame's heart sank and she grew cold at the thought.

"I refuse!" Menma said. "You'll have to go through me!"

"What pretty boy #1 said!" Hisako charged as she unfolded the spare Demon Wind Shuriken and slashed it diagonally at the man in close range. "How tough can a medic be because he took out a few clones?"

Kabuto might have taken that personally since he avoided the slash and slipped to her side before he punted Hisako—hard—out of the same hole Kushina and Naruto went through. "Very. Good luck surviving the fall, Uzumaki or not, you're still weak from before."

"Hisako-san!" Sasame cried.

Kabuto appeared in front of Menma faster than he could react and swiped at Menma's wrists and caused him to drop the kunai.

"That was your flexor tendons!" another strike was unleashed leaving a green arc in the sky. "A cut in the smooth muscle in your stomach lining," yet another flash was carved into the air, "Next is the cardiac muscle!"

Kabuto continued brutalizing Menma slowly until he ended with a slash across his neck and the boy was kicked on the floor in front of Sasame washed in pain and struggling to breathe.

"Menma-kun!" she began diagnostics and noticed the external jugular vein in his neck was nicked, so he would slowly suffer hemorrhaging. She had to stop it.

"Such a cute attempt, but you can't save him…" Kabuto chided Sasame. "You have some talent, but the damage is precise and you lack the experience of healing such injuries. I have more experience than you, a weak little girl who has always relied on others and they lost their lives defending you. This boy, the Uzumaki I just kicked to her death, and your cousin."

"N-no…" Sasame shook her head in sorrow.

"Your dear cousin joined in hopes of restoring your clan do you know what he told me? It was all for you. You were responsible for his death. You've wasted his sacrifice and should repent with your life."

Sasame sat there with tears in her eyes as Kabuto threw a kunai at her forehead. She closed her eyes and prepared to accept death until the sound of clashing metal rang as another kunai intercepted it and they fell to the floor. A certain purple-haired kunoichi landed in front of her.

"What is with kunoichi these days that make them just stand there crying?" she extended her arms and snakes poured out. "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Kabuto avoided the surprise strike only for time to slow as a buxom blonde woman closed in and raised her fist. He held up his arms in defense. The blow slammed into his arms and he stopped in midair for a split second before he rocketed backwards into the thick rear wall.

"Please!" Sasame didn't know who they were but she begged them regardless. "You have to save Menma-kun! The others, they're already…"

"It'll be okay," the blonde told her. "It won't take me too long to help him and the girl…"

"Why are women knocking me into walls today…?" Kabuto wondered as he pulled himself free of the wall…again.

"How the hell are you still alive after that?" Anko asked.

"A technique I invented. I sent chakra to the estimated location of the attack and simply began to regenerate and recreate cells before they were damaged…" he winced as he stepped to the side. "Although I'll need more time before I can do anything effective…until next time, Anko-senpai."

Kabuto vanished down a hatch hidden in the floor. Anko was preparing to chase him when a scream came from outside and the Sannin both the recognized the name.

* * *

><p><em>With Hisako<em>

Hisako was falling down the rock side of the cliff after being kicked out by Kabuto when a blonde dart shot towards her from below.

"Hisako-ane!" Naruto yelled as he jumped to grab her before she hit the water. His feet clung to the rock side using chakra, as she hung by her outstretched arm that he grabbed with both of his hands and struggled to keep hold. "What happened?"

"Well, I learned to never underestimate a medic-nin again," she looked up at Naruto. "Where's your mom?"

"I'm just a clone," the Naruto told her nodding to the mother and son who were facing against Amachi and his summoning. "The originals have their hands full and I was going to check up on you guys."

Naruto's clone fell to the surface of the water with Hisako in his arms bridal style. "Can you give me a lift in a less embarrassing manner?"

* * *

><p><em>With Kushina<em>

"Damn," Kushina swore as her clone's death related information back to her about the man known as Kabuto. She thought she hit him into the wall hard enough to kill him. "Multi-Shadow Clone!"

Thirty Kushina's appeared and rushed back to aid her surrogate kids while the original avoided another water blast from the Kaima-man. Kushina somersaulted forward while throwing her Whirlpool Yo-Yo at the man below. The Kaima-man batted the weapon away with scaled arms and then held the up to fire scales at her like a rain of shuriken.

"Wind Style: Cross Gale!" two clones roared as they sent the blades of wind at the man whose scales could not be cut. Four more Narutos ran towards him while extending chains from their hands and entrapping him. "PULL!"

The clones hoisted the scaled monstrosity into the air and the two from before leaped with their Nine-Tailed Fans in blade form and streaming chakra. They targeted his eyes since the scales couldn't be cut. It was a viable target given the circumstance and they saw Hisako do it.

The Kaima-man grabbed the chains that bound his arms and pulled them with a strong jerk to hoist the clones into the air before shooting them with his scales and then blasting the other two with a shot of water from his mouth. He landed on a rocky outcropping…only jump again.

A Demon Wind Shuriken imbued with earth chakra had flown towards the Kaima-man and littered the air with rubble as it impacted the large outcropping and shattered the top half into a shower of pebbles while passing through.

Kushina landed on the rough and unevenly stable remains and threw the Whirlpool Yoyo laced with water chakra with intent to kill as Hisako—riding on a clone's back—landed next to her.

"I can't be cut!" Amachi bought his hands up in defense and relied on the scales to defend him. The saw slammed into them and threw up a shower of blue sparks and scattering drops.

"Maybe you can't be cut…" Hisako tugged on her finger. The chakra string attached to the Demon Wind Shuriken reached maximum tension, but held and redirected the earth chakra laced weapon back. The weapon slammed into Amachi's back and shattered the scales and his spine at the waist. "But you can be broken…"

He howled in anguish as he fell towards a jagged outcropping. He hit hard and the scales on his stomach caved in and were run through. "And you can be pierced."

"Wind Style: Air Bullet!" a dozen more Narutos roared as they pour the chakra that made up their existence into a blast of pressurized air.

The spheres flew towards a humanoid mass of water held together by chakra. They impacted and ruptured. The released force tore it apart…only for it to reform…Madder than before.

"What does it take to kill you!" the original Naruto roared as he his blade was streaming enough chakra to create a blade ten times his size. He swung it down and bisected the creature, only to meet with the same results.

The Umibozu howled and lashed out with numerous gelatinous tendrils and ensnared the jinchuuriki and tried to drag him inside.

"NARUTO!" he recognized his mother's cry and shot a chakra chain towards sound before being swallowed into the center of the creature.

Kushina, Hisako, and the remaining clones desperately pulled at the chain the original blonde shot out. Yet, despite their efforts, neither was able to budge due to the viscosity of the creature's insides. Naruto was running out of air and would drown at that rate, no longer able to access the fox's chakra.

"Water Style:—" Kushina froze as her ears heard the incoming attack and looked towards the location. The injured Kaima-man made the final seal and targeted Kushina. "Water Fang Bullet!"

The water surrounding the group churned and formed drilling tendrils that arched toward them. The Naruto clones intercepted them before they could hit his mother and older sister figure, as chains emerged from the stone surface and formed a barrier. And the life line chain of Naruto was severed.

_Can't die like this…_Naruto looked on helplessly as he involuntarily took one last gasp. He stopped struggling as his consciousness began to fade from the water entering his lungs. The chain he supported began to lose its solid form and fade as it fell from the severed end…

_Damn it…sorry mom…guys…_were Naruto's last thoughts as all hope seemed lost…

A feminine hand grabbed the chain before it could vanish completely and tugged. In an instant, the blonde jinchuuriki went flying from inside the spectral creature and fell into the arms of an older woman that looked the same age as his mother. Her hands were lit with a soothing green light that and placed over his chest.

"Guhp—!" Naruto coughed and took in a revitalizing breath of air.

"Tsunade…" Kushina muttered with her gazed fixated on the Sannin in front of her as she received the memories of her clones sent to help the kids.

"The other kids are fine," the slug princess announced. "The medic with the glasses got away though."

"WHAT!" Amachi roared from his stone pike and spat blood before the water behind him erupted in a pillar. From it, a large black snake emerged and hissed. Taking one good look at the man, it opened its mouth and lunged.

"WAAAA—" the Kaima-man's cries were cut off by the sound of the stone being shattered as he made his way into the stomach of the snake.

"God that felt good…" Anko sighed before landing next to Tsunade with Isaribi and Menma over her shoulders and Sasame landing shortly afterwards as well. "I've been wanting to kill him since I got my memories back."

The spectral creature howled in a ghastly roar that awoke Naruto from his dreamless slumber.

"Fire Style:—" His eyes caught sight of a red and white blur as it rushed past the recovering party. It dashed across the water before taking to the air towards the Umibozu and casting a large shadow below. It wielded a pitch black sphere that was coated in burning flames and a hellish glow. "—Great Flame Rasengan…"

"Jiraiya!" Kushina whispered.

The toad sage had only one word for the monstrosity: "**Burn.**"

The sphere was thrust into its body and spiraled, the contents of the Umibozu were ignited and spun in conjunction with the sphere and became a vortex of flames and engulfed the summoning. The flames roared and consumed even the sea below the Umibozu, boiling it before the intense heat. With a mournful snarl the summoning fell into the sea of flames before evaporating gracefully.

"Mom…" Naruto said weakly as he observed the man standing with flames in the backdrop and his white hair gallantly dancing along with the embers in the wind. "Who is that?"

Hisako sat there silently blushing. Her eyes were entranced by the elegance and destruction he unleashed in an instant while radiating power. Even the sea itself could not put out the blaze that spread across the surface of the water mixed in with the remains of the Umibozu.

Despite Kushina's previous grievances with the man, even she stood in awe at his display of power. He was a sannin and Minato's sensei for a reason.

"His name is the Gallant Jiraiya…Toad Sage, Sannin of Konoha, Mentor of the Fourth Hokage…" Kushina looked at her son with gentle eyes she had a soft smile on her face. "And Godfather of Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

><p>Canon Jutsu:<p>

Water Style: Water Fang Bullet – Deals physical damage and increases killing power of water by adding spinning motion to pressurized water.

Water Style: Large Projectile – When in Kaima Form, the user is able attack with a blast of water from their mouth.

Fire Style: Great Flame Rasengan – Jiraiya's variation of the Rasengan, he spews fire onto it causing it to turn black and be surrounded by a ring of flames.

Dark Style: Inhaling Maw – Absorbs the chakra of another shinobi through physical contact and can completely remove inner reserves causing death.

Dark Style: Judgment – Releases converted chakra from Dark Style: Inhaling Maw into a light blue flame to blow enemy away with amplified strength.

Non-Canon Jutsu:

Zelda's Lullaby – Traps others in a deep slumber.

Bolero of Fire – Increases Chakra Output

* * *

><p>Notes:<p>

Okay, once again I ramped up the danger level of course. Basically, this chapter would be the example of a rescue mission gone wrong when you have people that are genin level going against people who are clearly above their skill level and don't have clan techniques. They were lucky to walk away alive.

Kabuto makes such a good villain with his words and sadism. There's a reason he's one of the final bosses in the series. He basically went he same route as he did with Sakura in breaking her before throwing a kunai to kill her like in the anime. His manipulating the corpses to attack in conjunction is based off his Ultimate in the game series: Death Technique: Returning Soul Play.

Also, I've demonstrated why you don't talk or not pay attention in the middle of the battle…or underestimate enemies…good thing Uzumaki clan members can take a hit…

Menma's techniques with his ocarina are basically songs from Legend of Zelda. Why? Because I wanted it to be and how many series do you know that actually use ocarinas?

Naruto hadn't signed the Toad Contract, nor did he have access to a fire jutsu or the fox's chakra to kill the Umibozu. Wind might scatter it, but it will just reform until you evaporate it.


	10. Chapter 8: To Kiri

**Naruto: Advent of the Spiraling Ninja 8**

_Author Notes: _

Apparently I've made Naruto too weak and nearly turned Hisako into a Mary Sue…Looking back I can see they may have had a point. This is a shorter chapter than usual…The next arc will be a bit more...violent...

Fanfic Recommendations: _Sand and Swirls_ by DarkSwordMage & _Hakumei_ by Pryotra

* * *

><p>Chapter 8: To Kiri<p>

_With Isaribi_

"…That should do it…" The voice of a woman entered the sleeping maiden of the sea's ears, and Isaribi opened her eyes slowly. Hovering over her were two women, one a red-haired Uzumaki, and the other a blonde Senju.

When the Uzumaki noticed her awakening, she smiled. "How are you feeling Isaribi-chan?"

Her dry throat croaked as she struggled to speak. "…You are…"

"Kushina, remember? I'm Naruto's mom." Kushina pointed to the woman next to her. "This is Tsunade Senju, one of the Sannin of Konoha. How are you feeling since the procedure was done?"

"P-procedure?" She ran her fingers across her face and noticed the absence of scales. Her eyes widened as they moved down her neck and felt her own skin.

"I told you we'd turn you back…Although—" Kushina was cut off by the squealing of the sea maiden, as she shot up and hugged both of the women.

"Thank you so much!"

The older women nervously looked between themselves before Kushina sighed.

"It's not gone Isaribi-chan." Kushina showed her a seal on the back of her hands. "We simply compacted the transformation based on his research notes and what we know about the cursed seals, we essentially completed the transformation…Your DNA had simply been too altered to completely remove it from you."

Isaribi swallowed. "What do you mean?"

"Put chakra into the seals," Tsunade told her, and she did. Isaribi's Kaima form emerged and had changed to a more slender build, with deep green scales similar to Amachi's form, but she kept her human eyes. "The chakra will activate your recessive traits and bring them to the surface again…To be honest, it might activate automatically if your body instinctively determines it would be beneficial to your survival—say you were drowning."

"S-so it's not gone completely…" Her hands shook as she stemmed the flow of chakra to the seal. Her body reverted back to normal and she sighed in relief. "I might still be a monster, but I can hide it now…"

"Stop calling yourself a monster girly; it's an insult to not just you, but those two who treated you, and those who died on the project as well." Anko chimed in from by the equipment. "You aren't a monster because of how you looked…The real monster is the one who authorized this project all those years ago."

"You don't understand…I killed people in order to get back to normal. They had families, friends, lives—I took away their lives in order to finally…To finally get back to normal…" The sound of teardrops hitting the stone floor carried a solid echo. "Now that I have it…I feel so hollow."

"I'd expect so," Anko sighed. "You got used by an arrogant prick who intended to throw you away like useless garbage after he was done with you. You killed innocent people, broke apart families, and caused numerous people to suffer both emotionally and financially because you kept sinking important ships—enough to the point where we were supposed to kill you for the good of the world. Join the club."

"Uh, Anko-chan…" Jiraiya pointed to the girl who had curled up and was sobbing silently.

"Her bitching about it won't do a thing. The dead are dead; that includes the people she killed and the prick who made her do it. Whining about feeling hollow won't change a thing or fill the void she has. I speak from experience; it doesn't make you a monster, just a stupid little girl."

Isaribi scowled at the woman and snapped back. "I killed so many people on the words of a liar! I tried to kill the two people who showed me kindness in order to be turned back to normal. Yet, these very same people who I tried to kill had only been trying to help me the whole time, to the point they got injured badly!"

Anko grabbed the girl by the hair and held her head up so she could see the seal on her neck. "You got played, manipulated, and lied to. You have become so stained in blood the scent may never wash off, no matter how hard you try to cover it up. Welcome to the world of the shinobi kid. It doesn't make you a monster as long as you still feel something for those you killed, but bitching about making a mistake and being empty inside won't make things better. Find a reason that's worth living with those corpses on your back."

"Anko-chan is right; you are not a monster…" Kushina gently grabbed Anko's hand and removed it from the girl's head. "She has a point, but she could be a bit nicer in saying so."

"Between her, the carrot-top from earlier, and my mini-Anko in training, I've realized that some truths need to be spelled out as honestly as possible before she does something stupid like ask you to kill in repentance—" she noticed Isaribi flinch "—see, I knew it!"

"Enough," Kushina warned her before staring at the mark. "Also, if you want, I should be able to remove that seal from your neck later on since Jiraiya and Tsunade are here to help. But for now, I need you to leave her alone."

"Sweet!" Anko walked off with Tsunade, who went to check on the other red-haired girl.

Isaribi kept her face down and refused to look at Kushina. "I tried to kill you and your son…Why are you defending me?"

"We all make mistakes in life, but if that's the case you can always live and atone for everything. If you want to find a way to make it up to us, then come with us and live like Anko-chan said. As for the Kaima seal, that ability is yours Isaribi-chan. Even if it's covered in blood it's yours to wield. I'm not going to tell you to use it if you don't want to, but it can be used to save lives as well as take them. Don't just deny it."

"OW, THAT HURT!" Hisako cried from across the room and got Kushina's attention. "What the hell was that for Battle Tits!"

Tsunade decided to ignore the crack on her breasts since it wouldn't do to kill the person she treated…Yet. "Who told you to fight after losing so much blood? You want me to turn you into my personal gopher like I did Hayate?"

"Screw you lady!" Hisako told the Sannin, apparently not fearing the fact that she could pound her into paste, literally. Anko immediately liked her.

"Now, now, Hisako-chan," Jiraiya gave the younger girl a wink. "It wouldn't do for a young lady like yourself to get harmed unnecessarily. Be nice to the medic-nin."

Hisako blushed. "I-if you say so…"

_Right, she said she liked older men. I'd better have a word with him about that…_Kushina thought as she watched the girl go from hotheaded to cool suddenly. "Alright, so what do we do about the situation here?"

"What do you mean?" Sasame hovered over Menma's unconscious body. Tsunade managed to reverse all the damage Kabuto had done, but Sasame couldn't shake the man's words…If only she hadn't been so weak.

"She means since we can't just ignore the fact that fox-boy is here. People have witnessed him moving around, and all it would take is one stray word and ANBU will be all over from here to Kiri looking for him."

"…What if we don't leave out that we were here?" Naruto asked, and everyone stared. "Mom, Hisako-ane, and I can use shadow clones and transformation. What if we got on a boat heading towards the Land of Hot Springs and under the cover of night slip off once we're near home and leave transformed clones to get off at the Land of Hot Springs."

"My god…" Hisako croaked. "The squirt actually put together a decent plan!"

"That's not nice Hisako-chan." Kushina told her. "That is a good plan, but at least one of us needs to go in case we need to replace the clones since even shadow clones won't last that long. Naruto can stay with the others and lead them to the underground facility while I handle the clones."

Jiraiya nodded. "We'll send Anko back to tell them we found the base in use and stayed to oversee its destruction. Not that they won't trust out word, but we'll send this Kaima research back as proof and tell them the Kaima was destroyed…"

Isaribi flinched.

"Technically, we aren't lying." Anko pointed out. "Amachi was a Kaima at the time he was eaten…Girly over here was a pawn and was ordered to sink those ships…We were sent to exterminate the Kaima sinking ships to stop it and as long as she stops…"

"Yeah, but we need a boat ride today to make that plan work."

"Not a problem," a new voice chimed in and was revealed to be a shadow clone of Kushina. "I went to remove the genjutsu laid on them without knowing Tsunade had already done so. The boat captain was worried about the kids and held back until now in order to wait to see if we were safe. They'll take everyone in an hour."

"Alright, let's go!" Naruto created several clones to carry everyone, which led to Hisako arguing about carrying her in that position again. The original extended his hands towards Isaribi. "C'mon Isaribi-nee!"

"I…" Isaribi hesitatingly reached out for him, before he grabbed her and pulled her up to her feet.

* * *

><p><em>In Suna<em>

Under the desert sun and inside a wide arena, the Sand Siblings were lecturing the newest group of academy students now that the new program had gone underway. The trio were already chuunin level in all but on paper until they went to the next Chuunin Exams, and since the rest of the jounin or chuunin were undergoing the flux of missions granted by the new Wind Daimyo, their village was beginning a slow recovery to its former glory.

They current stood in front of three tables with weapons on them, with the groups split into two. Gaara was the odd man out, and stood there with his eyes closed, until a late-comer called his named.

"Gaara-sama!" Matsuri rushed over towards the table where the jinchuuriki stood, with her brown-haired friend, Sari, in tow.

Gaara slowly opened his eyes and gave her a blank stare. "You are late, Matsuri."

He didn't use honorifics. This did not go unnoticed by his siblings and Chiyo, who watched on from above through a puppeteer technique that connects sight and sound to a puppet using chakra strings.

"I'm sorry," she bowed. Others looked at her in confusion at talking to the jinchuuriki without hesitance. "I was up late last night practicing, and I had to bring my roommate along since she woke up as late as I did."

"Your excuse is acceptable…This time." Gaara droned. "However, remember that being late is a sin for shinobi…Especially on missions. In the event that I am your superior, I will have to hold it against you."

"Understood, Gaara-sama," Matsuri nodded.

"I assume you already have your weapon selected?" The jinchuuriki referred to the Jouhyou that she had been practicing with since their moonlight encounter.

Matsuri pulled it out. "I have. However, Sari hasn't been able to decide on a weapon yet, and I was hoping you could help her…"

Sari flinched when Matsuri bought attention to her. Gaara diverted his gaze to the girl and peered into her eyes. He saw the expected fear from his past actions and reputation, but it was toned down compared to the older crowd.

"Sari-san," he addressed her. "What are your intentions with a weapon?"

"Umm…" The kunoichi in training fidgeted. "I don't like hurting others personally, but I want to keep my comrades safe. Maybe something that restrains them or traps them…"

Gaara blinked slowly. "Once again, you girls may be in the wrong career field…" _Then again, there aren't many choices for orphans…_ "But I may have just the thing for you to try."

"R-Really?" Sari tilted her head.

"While we striking an enemy and killing them is essential, many times we need to trap them or restrain them. Luckily, one of Suna's native arts is using a cloth as a weapon." He grabbed a large cloth roll and nodded to a section that had a few training posts set up. "Both of you follow me…"

At the training posts, Gaara unrolled the cloth and sent his chakra flowing through it. The end darted out and entwined the post. "The cloth can be strengthened and controlled through chakra alone…I am not very skilled in using it, so this much alone requires more effort than I would like, but it serves for a demonstration.

"Using it to bind an enemy, it can be combined with ninja wire to make traps. In addition, should you gain a level of mastery over chakra flow, you can use articles of clothing—take a scarf for instance—as a weapon as well. The cloth spear would be an example…"

He handed the roll over to Sari. "Between the two of you, I would also recommend learning some type of suppression seals. But for now, simply practice."

Sari looked at the cloth roll and then gave him a small bow. "Thank you, Gaara-sama…All those things Matsuri says while sleep-talking are true."

Matsuri blushed. "Sari!"

Gaara blinked at the comment. Inside his mindscape, Shukaku made several more lewd comments that made his mother blush, before she enclosed the seal even further to silence the raccoon dog.

* * *

><p><em>A Few Days Later In Konoha<em>

Anko Mitarashi had returned to Konoha alone and was currently giving a mission outline on the base. As she did so, Danzo tapped his chin as he eyed the kunoichi, who seemed slightly more at ease than normal given the topic of the Snake Sannin.

He had nothing against her on a personal level; she was a fairly competent kunoichi. It was merely that her loyalty laid with Sarutobi rather than the village, since he was the one who bought her to Konoha in the first place after she had been abandoned. Not to mention that the effects of the cursed seal were still being investigated.

Although they made great advances recently through some information that made Danzo curious as to how his old comrade ascertained it.

So, he made a bold move. "Mitarashi-san…what happened to your Cursed Seal?"

Sarutobi glared at the man, knowing it was a sensitive topic. "Danzo, you can't just bring up—"

"It's been removed." Anko nonchalantly cut off her superior. She had been intending to tell him anyway as part of the Sannin's plans.

Everyone got quiet until Inoichi spoke up. "I-it was removed?"

"Yeah…" Anko raised an eyebrow to feign mild interest. Inside, she was savoring the reactions she was getting. It tasted as sweet as Dango. "That reminds me, we should deal with the Uchiha's seal once Jiraiya-sama gets back. Although, both he and Tsunade-sama won't be back since they wanted to chase after the blond brat and red-haired woman he was with."

Once again, everyone was silent until Kakashi spoke up this time. "They found a lead?"

"Apparently those two were on the islands not too long before we got there," she looked at the Hokage before he could say anything. "The boat they got on was heading back to the Land of Hot Springs the same day we got there. Priority had us focus on the mission we were assigned and we bought back the research on the Kaima transformation. They also gave me a set of instructions towards the Hokage-sama alone."

Sarutobi nodded and would ask her about it later. Danzo, however, planned on sending some scouts ahead. He respected Sarutobi as an old friend, but he was known to be too lenient.

The jinchuuriki needed to be in Konoha's grasp—like it or not, the boy was a shinobi and weapon that they couldn't part with…At least without gaining something equal in return.

Still, that Kaima transformation would be useful for aquatic endeavors. He would have to get a copy of that as soon as possible. Having a Yamanaka infiltrate a paper pusher's mind and get the copies made should suffice. No bodies and the victim would just think they nodded off.

* * *

><p><em>With Anko – Minutes Later<em>

"Mitarashi-san, why did you tell them?" Sarutobi asked while rubbing his forehead, after activating the privacy seal.

"The two Sannin told me to tell the council about it." Anko shrugged. "Apparently they loaded a pair of Shadow Clones on the boats to let the witnesses see them while they all went somewhere else. Surprisingly, blondie thought of it."

"I see," Sarutobi tapped his chin. "Any idea where they went?"

"No clue," Anko shrugged. "They talked about departing the boat halfway and then water-walking, so probably an island they call home."

_The Land of Whirlpools alright,_ Sarutobi guessed. "Good work."

"Thanks," Anko walked to his window. "Well, I'd better get home. The brat told me to give mini-Anko a letter."

Hoping from rooftop to rooftop, she made her way back to the apartment she shared with Hinata—after making a quick stop to try and grab Iruka. His skills were definitely special jounin level at least.

Hinata had just finished visiting Miyako and Marumi at their stay in the detention center, getting ready to enter the shower, when Anko popped in. "Mini-me! I bought you something you might like!"

"Anko-sensei!" Hinata grabbed a towel and covered herself, despite the fact that by then they both had seen enough of each other nude to know every detail.

On a smaller note, Anko noticed a slight growth in her cup size. _What the hell does she eat to get them so big at her age?_

"Please, get out!" Hinata spoke with a blush on her face, reaching for a towel. "I'm not decent!"

"Well, if you don't want a letter from your future boy toy—" and just like that the letter was out of her hands into Hinata's, who put modesty at the back of her mind. "Okay, now that's creepy."

"You ran into Naruto-kun?" She asked, not bothering to look up from the letter.

"Yeah, blondie was on the island that I had to go on my last mission…" Anko peered over her shoulder to take a glimpse of what was on it. "Seems like he's been busy."

* * *

><p><em>In Uzushio<em>

The group as a whole had made it back to Uzushio.

Upon arrival, Naruto and Kushina showed them how to enter the safe house through the whirlpool. Given that the entire thing was big enough to house them all easily, space wouldn't be a problem.

Naruto had fallen back into his usual routine after getting over the wave of nostalgia. Clearing with rubble with the help of a Hisako clone, training on chakra control, and gathering food even though Kushina had restocked the supplies, he started on learning a technique his father was famous for. He spent the remainder of the time attempting to lure Isaribi out of her shell and working on developing some water jutsu skills with his mother.

The fox also had a hand in the basics of using his Tailed Beast Skills. So far he learned about the Sonic Roar, and Fox Fire Stream, although the fire one required two or more tails.

Isaribi had been quiet so far, deep in thought and contemplating her life and actions up to that point. She helped out whenever Kushina needed something done, but rarely spoke unless spoken to. Kushina wanted to take her time to ease her into things.

Jiraiya, for the first few days, refused to leave the treasure trove of information that was the Uzushio scroll archives. The thought of having access to the knowledge of the foremost experts in sealing, all at his fingertips made him cry tears of joy. It was only when Tsunade tempted him that he finally left the archives for the first time in three days—and even then, he honestly struggled between the two. He settled by leaving a shadow clone behind.

Hisako trained—with great glee—under the pervert in learning about fire and earth chakra. They'd also discuss matters involving the Icha Icha series. Kushina gave Jiraiya and Tsunade fair warning about her infatuation and they assured her nothing would come of it…After Tsunade stopped laughing.

Tsunade had taken to teaching Sasame and Menma more medical techniques. The chakra strengthening technique of hers wouldn't be taught to them, as she was fairly certain in the amount of time they could remain here it wouldn't be enough. Several clones of Kushina joined in as well in order to build up their experience on the subject.

All in all, they grew in skill.

* * *

><p><em>In Orochimaru's Base<em>

Kabuto had finished giving his report to Orochimaru about what happened on the island. While the matter of experimenting with the jinchuuriki was fairly interesting, he could wait until he thought of a plan to get Sasuke for his body. However, the Uzumaki clan had some fairly interesting seals under their belt—not to mention that summoning the Fourth Hokage used—and he still owed the older woman, who he was sure was the one who sealed him during that fight…He would have to see just how resilient their clan was…

As Kabuto waltz through the base, he spotted just the red-head he wanted to see. "Oh, Karin-chan, you're an Uzumaki, right?"

The red-head arched an eyebrow. "Yeah…?"

A smug smile crossed his face. "I thought you might want to know I ran into 3 members of your clan…"

She stayed silent and judged him. _Mind's Eye of the Kagura_—her own sensory ability—told her he wasn't lying. "What about them?"

"Walk with me…"

* * *

><p><em>A Month Later in Uzushio<em>

Kushina had left to see a certain dealer about a certain set of illegal merchandise, and Tsunade wanted to pick up some quality alcohol, so she entrusted Jiraiya with the kids for the day and would be back tomorrow. Jiraiya assured them that everything would be fine, not wanting to get back on Kushina's bad side and just told them that he was going to show Naruto how to use a summoning.

"Alright, so make the hand seals and then place your hands on the ground," he demonstrated. A frog the size of a man emerged, before he pulled out the physical contract. "The amount of chakra determines just who you summon, along with intent. Whatever you do—"

"Jiraiya!" Hisako called out from the distance. "Can you demonstrate that earth technique again?"

"Sure, Hisako-chan."

While Jiraiya was distracted, Naruto wondered how much chakra he should put in. He figured he should just dump a large amount in and made the hand seals. When the Frog Sage turned around after noticing the spike in chakra…

"No, don't add chakra without a—" It was too late as the blond vanished in a plume of smoke. "—contract…KUSHINA'S GOING TO KILL ME!"

"Where'd the squirt go?" Hisako scratched her head.

"Well, when you summon without establishing a contract you get called up to whatever summoning you have a natural affinity with." Jiraiya groaned. "The problem is that we don't know what his natural affinity is."

Hisako nodded. "Meaning we have no idea where the hell he is?"

"Yep." Jiraiya started pulling on his hair. He had finally gotten back some of the trust he lost, and this happens. "Alright, no one needs to know he's gone just yet…I just need some way of tracking him."

"I think his mom has some way, but she'll probably kill you first."

"I knowwwww..." The Sage wept.

* * *

><p><em>With Naruto<em>

Naruto landed with a thud, on a giant boulder. "Okay, that may have been a bad idea."

"Come on, you overgrown worm!" Naruto heard a small voice and looked to see a small orange toad in a blue vest with a stick in its hand, defending a yellow one in a vest from a good sized snake. "You wanna piece of me?"

"_Nooo…_" It flicked its tongue. "_I want the whole thing!_"

Fangs lashed out and were blocked with the stick barely, before the tail came around. It smacked the orange toad away and into a tree, before glaring at the yellow one that shook in fear. "_You look fillingggg…_"

"I like snacks, not being one…" The poor yellow one shivered even harder. "Help, Nii-sama! Daddy!"

"Gamatatsu!" The brother cried as the snake lunged for the puffy snack of a toad.

"For the love of…" Naruto had grabbed the snake by the tail. Swinging it in circles overhead, he tossed it over the side of a cliff and down the mountain, until it hit a stream below and started making its way downstream.

"Yay, I'm saved!" The yellow toad jumped up and down before settling on the blond shinobi's head. "Thank you…And do you have any snacks?"

"Gamatatsu, you idiot!" The orange toad delivered a flying kick to his brother's head and took his place on the sun-kissed hair. "That's not what you ask from someone who saves your life."

Naruto just blinked at the toad on top of his head. "Alright, I will admit this is the first time I've seen talking toads."

"Is that right?" Gamakichi jumped off his head and landed in front of him. "If you've never seen a talking toad, then how did you get to Mount Myouboku?"

"I was training under Pervy Sage and he showed me the summoning technique. When I did it, I was bought here." Naruto scratched his head.

"Hmm…" Gamakichi nodded. "Sounds like the story dad told me. He'll probably know what to do."

"Cool, can you take me to him, ummm….?" Naruto hadn't learned his name yet.

"Name's Gamakichi. Come on, I'll take you to my dad." Gamakichi hopped towards their village. "Keep up Gamatatsu!"

"Kay!" The bloated toad hopped on top of Naruto's head instead of following on foot. "We're going to see Daddy!"

* * *

><p><em>A Day Later With Kushina<em>

Kushina was back, and upon noticing the missing blond, she confronted the sage. "Jiraiya…Where's my son?"

"Yeah, about that…" He was sweating bullets at this point. The toads he summoned to help him track the boy were all refusing to, saying that Gamabunta wanted to talk to him first after he finished dealing with a house guest. "I'm fairly certain he's…Okay?"

"Where's Naru—" There was a huge plume of smoke as the Toad Boss appeared. He smoked a large pipe and gained everyone's attention with his mere presence. It was kinda hard to ignore a huge toad that appears out of nowhere.

Naruto looked down from the top of the toad to see his mom and the others. "Hi mom! Look what I bought home!"

"Kushina?" Gamabunta muttered. His previous summoner was the boy's father and he had met the wife beforehand. "So you really are back…"

"Told you!" Naruto piped in.

"Gamabunta-sama?" Kushina looked up at the boss summoning. "It has been some time. I dare say you've gotten even bigger. Why is Naruto on top of you?"

"The trial for his contract," Gamabunta puffed out a ring of smoke. "Apparently, he accidentally reverse summoned himself to our home because he had a natural affinity for our kind. Who knows where he would've ended up if he wasn't? Since he did my son a favor, we hosted him over the night and got to talking…"

The giant toad glared at the sage. "Hello, Jiraiya…."

"Yo, Bunta…" The sage gulped. "You're not still mad about the last time, are you…?"

Gamabunta merely extended his tongue to grab Naruto and lowered the blond to the other Uzushio kids, before drawing his blade. Kushina was radiating eldritch energy at the fact that Jiraiya hadn't told her he lost her son. Jiraiya wondered who would kill him first.

The angry mother or pissed off Toad Boss.

Then he ran, very fast.

* * *

><p><em>A Few Hours Later<em>

The group as a whole sat around a campfire, underneath the night sky. Stars loitered above and twinkled with no set pattern, as they watched the flames dance. Fish cooked over an open flame filled the air with the scent of a delicious meal.

"What are you going to next Kushina?" Tsunade asked as she healed the injured godfather. The Toad Boss had some words for him already, and what he didn't finish, Kushina did.

"I plan on going to Kiri next…" Kushina patted her sleeping son on the head. Riding on top of a giant toad for a few hours was daunting. Not to mention the lecture Kushina gave him just for good measure.

"My spy network hasn't been functioning in Kiri since the incident with Orochimaru and the Kaguya, so I can't tell you what's going on…" Jiraiya told her weakly. "Even the boats from the Land of Fire only run once a month."

"Are you going by yourself?" Hisako grabbed one of the fish on a stick and chomped into it.

"I want Naruto and the others to stay here and train, so I plan on going by myself for the moment. I have enough of the seals filled with his chakra to last me a month with minimal fighting…"

No one noticed that Naruto's ears twitched while he supposedly slept.

* * *

><p><em>A Couple Of Days Later<em>

Kushina disembarked from the boat into the dock at a small port in the Land of Water. Kiri was located further inside, roughly a few days travel, and she could get there with little problems. With the extra seals she bought, she would be able to last long enough to get business done.

"Hey! Where's your tickets!" Kushina heard a boat hand on the other side of the boat.

"Uh…about that…" A familiar voice chuckled nervously as Kushina stepped around the boat…To see a soon to be punished blond boy and sea maiden.

"NARUTO!" Kushina roared as grabbed her son. "I left you with Jiraiya for a reason!"

"If you know these two, then can you pay their fees?" The man asked. "Things are tight around here, and to be honest I'd really hate to turn them over to proper authorities given that they're kids, and with things going on…"

"I'm so sorry!" Kushina bowed her head and forced Naruto to do so as well before paying for them both…As well as a little extra to look the other way before she dragged the both of them off. "Explain!"

"I apologize Kushina-san," Isaribi bowed her head. "I-it's just that he can be very persuasive and he wouldn't listen when I tried to stop him from following and—"

Naruto cut her off. "Mom, can you honestly blame me for wanting to spend more time with you or be worried about you going to an unknown place alone?"

"The Rasengan, until you…" She trailed off when he formed it in his hand.

"I created over two hundred clones each night before I went to bed to work on it for 4 hours, for the last month. That's over a year's worth of practice in a month to get it down to pat with even my low chakra control unlike Pervy Sage."

"Makes sense…Minato had to work out the finer details over three years but Jiraiya got it faster…" She put her son back onto the ground. "What about training with your godfather?"

"Pervy sage is an earth and fire type, Granny is a lightning type and medic," Naruto told her. "I'm a wind type, and neither one of them can show me anything I can use right now while the others will benefit more by their hands. I can get more practical experience with you until he can take us on that training trip later, but that's months away and you can teach Isaribi-chan and me water jutsu."

"Did you tell your godfather that you were going to come with me?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "…I was going to…But I'm here now, so does it matter?"

"Fine…" Kushina sighed as she pulled out the Contact Scroll and informed the sage before he had another heart attack. Sometimes she worried she may have been spoiling her son. "Naruto, after everything that has happened…"

"I can understand you're worried but how bad could it—" he failed to finish as the boat they were on not five minutes ago exploded along with every other one in the dock. The force threw them back and the Contact Scroll was lost among the rubble and falling embers before she could reseal it, and people screamed in terror.

The trio was unaware that they had arrived near the turning point of a revolution in Kiri.

Naruto sighed. "Okay in my defense, I didn't see that coming."


	11. Chapter 9: Horrors of War

**Naruto: Advent of the Spiraling Ninja 9**

* * *

><p><em>Author Notes: <em>

Okay, this is a mini-arc that will be darker than usual since it involves a civil war. Seriously, I will instill into you the horrors of war, and how even the innocent aren't spared…not even the cute kids. Kiri is known as the Bloody Mist for a reason.

You've been warned.

* * *

><p>Chapter 9: Horrors of War<p>

_With Kushina_

It had been a day since the revolution that spanned the Land of Water had begun. The _Contact Scroll_ was lost, no doubt taken by the Mizukage's hounds when they swarmed the docks. The important members and unit leaders of the resistance had been gathered for a meeting there.

It was during this time that Kushina could see why Kiri was known as the Bloody Mist—the way they fought reminded her of her own time on the battlefield.

Rising embers danced amongst the billowing smoke, adding an eerie, mesmerizing beauty to the destruction. The wailing of the maimed and panicked was almost a symphony. It played the one true constant throughout history: _War_.

Powerful spouts of water were used to cave in the chest of the enemy, crushing bones and organs alike. If the victim was unfortunate enough to live, they died slowly in agony. Death by asphyxiation was gradual and forced the body to release the contents within the bowels and bladder as they died, degrading the dead further.

Spiraling torrents took to the land, catching those who were too close to the funnel and smashing them into whatever else was trapped inside. Stone, wood, steel, cloth, other bodies—there was no difference as the water and debris grinded them into a slurry of pounded flesh, blood, and visceral fluids that rained over the dock. The innocent and guilty alike were killed.

Explosive kunai blew away the shelters that many civilians hid behind—out of suspicion that they housed rebels—if the crushing pressure of water didn't. The meat left behind from the close-range blasts were turned into permanent lodgings for shrapnel, and the bodies that were still somewhat whole were tossed like ragdolls. Finding brain matter mixed in with the remains of crushed skulls from the downpour of building material was common after the first dozen explosions.

Lightning rippled and surged through bodies. The millions of volts robbed the victims of control over their bodies; the intense bolts instantly boiled and ruptured the fluids in the eyeballs. It was then that the heat melted and fused the lids shut, never to open again, as the smell of charred flesh wafted in the air with the scent of iron.

There were bodies everywhere, merciless cut down and skewered. Blood seeped from the corpses and became one with the abundant water. Once the famous _Hidden in the Mist_ technique was employed, the blood-red curtain signaled the slaughter hidden from sight. Only silhouettes and the sound of screams were apparent, followed by the bodies hitting the ground or plunging into the depths for the sea to claim the dead.

**And that was only the first five minutes.**

Kushina reapplied the seal slip and felt her son's chakra restore her back into fighting form. Her red-hair swayed in the night wind, as embers from the campfire passed by. Tears trickled down her face from worry over her son, and the young woman she saw as another child.

Looking around the fire, she was accompanied by four figures. Zabuza Momochi, a former member of the Seven Swordsmen. Next to him was a woman named Mei Terumi, the leader of the rebelling faction with auburn hair and two bloodlines—a rarity not normally found in this day and age.

Of all those who followed her and were captured or killed, only two remained: An older man named Ao, and a young man named Choujurou. Zabuza had lost the surrogate son he traveled with during that attack on the port, captured along with Isaribi. Guilt had swelled inside their hearts, no doubt as sorrowful as the mother who lost her son.

She had been traveling with them in hopes of reaching Naruto, following the tracking array etched onto his spiritual energy. However, he had been moving so fast somehow, and the array had become corroded though constant exposure to the tainted chakra. The trace she had on him was gone, meaning she had lost both of her children and could only hope for the best…

* * *

><p><em>During the Dock Attack<em>

The sheer amount of confusion and chaos overtook both Isaribi and Naruto's senses, leaving them completely shell shocked. Nothing they had experienced was…_this_. Ninja killing ninja was one thing. They had killed before, and they had seen death.

But not on this scale…

Once the full brunt of the attack had begun, no one was safe. Not her, or her kids, or the civilians caught in the crossfire. The fog of war had completely consumed them, with no clue who was an ally or an enemy. The only ones guaranteed not to stab them in the back were the civilians, who were just as confused as they were.

While their minds were dulled, their instincts and bodies were not. When an exploding kunai landed near the pair they body flickered and avoided it the blast. The fleeing child behind them was not so lucky. With the force of the blast so strong, it slammed her charred body against the ground and shattered the remains to pieces.

"What…" Naruto shook as he looked at the corpse. "What is this?"

Isaribi's eyes were at the water's edge, where several more bodies were floating. They would sink the moment the gases in their bodies ran out, and rise once again as decomposition set in and released more. That was provided they weren't feasted on.

"Naruto! Isaribi-chan!" Kushina snapped the pair out of it. "We have to get out of here! This place is turning into a war zone!"

He pointed to the child's corpse on the ground. "But…"

"The dead lay where they fall until this is over," she stated coldly. The days of the war were flashing back in her mind. "We can do nothing for the dead, causality or not."

Isaribi collected herself faster and asked, "Then what _do_ we do?"

"Survive." Kushina had kunai hidden as she ran with them behind her. "Shinobi getting involved in the battle of others without a goal in mind simply causes more confusion and labels you a target. We don't know who is fighting, or what the situation is."

"**Waaahhh!**" A baby's cry came ahead of them, lying in the arms of a still woman whose corpse was under a vendor's stand. Surrounded by flames, the stand itself was under was stressed and ready to fall.

The Nine-Tailed Fan was unleashed, sending a gale to knock away the debris while Naruto rushed in to get the child. With great regret for the mother, he was forced to take the child from the iron grip she had even into death, shielding her child. By the Sage of Six Paths, she didn't look a day older than twenty and she was mercilessly put down by a kunai in the skull.

"_Shhhh,_" Naruto whispered as he rocked the child, trying to ease the crying. He was regretting the enhanced sense of smell, since the various scents he could smell from the battle were screwing with his body. "It'll be okay, so just calm do—"

"Naruto, Move!" Kushina told him, her son unaware of the impending danger. A random shinobi serving the Mizukage had unleashed a jutsu at the jinchuuriki from behind.

Naruto held a weapon and was not a known ally; therefore he was an enemy by deduction. It was amazing how often that train of thought occurred in the haze of battle. Naruto barely body flickered and avoided the attack, pushing him to the edge of the port with his back to the sea.

He thought he heard wood from the bridge crack when he landed on it, but with the sounds of the distant explosions he couldn't be sure. At least the baby was quiet.

**Splash! **A second shinobi emerged from the water behind him and a kunai descended towards his neck.

Twisting his body, Naruto's leg came up and deflected the kunai by slamming into the forearm. With his hands occupied with the baby in one and the blade form of the Nine-Tailed Fan, he couldn't make ,channeling chakra into the blade, he lashed out at the shinobi and spilt him into two—

No, the halves turned into water! "It was a water clone!"

"**Get down!**" Kushina roared.

The rattling of chains signaled the flight of a speared chain that ran through and pierced the skull of her son's assailant, who attempted to ambush him from the left. In her hand was the one who used the jutsu earlier to attack Naruto, dead from a slit throat. Her eyes were…cold.

Kushina slowly blinked upon seeing how her son looked at her, restoring some of the warmth. She found herself nearly slipping into a personality she had hoped to forget. "Naruto, don't run off again. We need to stay together."

"R-Right…" Naruto muttered, before recalling the child in his arms. His face paled. The child's body had gone cold and he tried to find a pulse. "The baby's not breathing…"

Kushina quickly ran a diagnostic on it, before shaking her head and gently setting the corpse in the water to sink beneath the surface. "The child's neck was snapped, I'm afraid. You didn't have a tight enough grip on his head when you used the _Body Flicker_ and the whiplash…"

Naruto shook in regret. If he hadn't done so that attack would have killed them both. He tried to save a life and accomplished nothing. It hurt…

"Regret later, we're on a battlefield now," Kushina told her son. "We're getting out of here, before—" her hand flashed around with a kunai upon hearing the sound of parting air, and deflected incoming shuriken aimed for the back of her head.

A chain was shot out and pierced through the rooftop in an effort to skewer the assailant, but the shinobi fled. Kushina noticed he was bearing the sign of allegiance to the Mizukage and swore. "Damn it!"

The older woman grabbed them both and began moving as fast as she could to get as much distance between the two points. Landing in a crouch, Kushina's voice got dangerously low as she warned them things just got worse. "The man who escaped has identified us as the enemy and now they all will come after us."

Naruto's mind was still on the topic of the baby he inadvertently killed as they snuck around. How could that have happened? Why did it happen? The baby and its mother were uninvolved in this conflict, so why did they have to die?

Isaribi felt as cold as she had serving under the man who made her a monster, watching so many people die left and right. Innocents and enemies alike, no one was spared and the screams didn't stop. They reminded her of how sailors she stranded in the middle of the ocean would sink to their deaths, screaming for an absent god to save them…until the cold water stripped them of the energy to stay afloat.

Kushina was facing away so they didn't see her lips tremble. This was exactly the type of thing Minato and she fought against, so that Naruto's generation would be spared from it. And now her children were caught in the middle of a war. She had to get them out of the battlefield.

And so she became the Crimson Reaper and harvested the lives of all those who dared to threaten her charges.

* * *

><p><em>Back to Kushina<em>

Kushina cut down all that attacked and stood in their way, cold and mercilessly until her outfit was painted a darker shade than her hair by blood, but the numbers were too great. Thanks to the damn fog of war—despite their best efforts—they wound up in the middle of it while trying to escape and met Mei, Zabuza, Choujurou, Haku, and Ao.

Since they were all being attacked by one enemy and a truce was called, they did their best to survive overwhelming numbers. Countless fell before two of the legendary swordsmen—well, one legendary and a rookie who was still wet behind the ears—two experienced veterans, and a dual bloodline user that literally melted the enemy to the bone and then beyond.

Unfortunately, Haku and Isaribi were captured and taken away, most likely for interrogation. Naruto had unleashed two tails and pursued, creating an escape path for them while trying to save Isaribi. That alerted multiple factions to the presence of another jinchuuriki that could serve as a useful weapon, and soon Hunter-nin—which originated and were most effective in the Land of Water—were sent after him.

Upon losing her children, Kushina attempted to try to head after them with Zabuza going after Haku, but were both knocked out by Mei and Ao to prevent them from being struck down recklessly.

Kushina knew, or rather prayed, that Naruto would be alright and save Isaribi. The fox wouldn't let him die, and with his enhanced senses he would find his way to Isaribi possibly before them.

Shaking her head to organize her thoughts, she asked, "Do we have any idea where they've taken the kids?"

Zabuza answered for them. "They'll most likely take Haku and your girl into the Depths. There's a prison there…or rather, it's where people go to disappear. Getting the fuck down there is hard enough with all the natural caverns, not to mention I only know the general location. Only those Yagura explicitly trusted or were in a position that required the knowledge knew how to get around down there."

"Just get me to the general location," Ao stated calmly. "I guarantee I can find it. We'll need to save all we can if we are to rearm ourselves."

Mei sat next to Kushina, who was the most distraught at the moment, offering her some comfort. Given the circumstances, Kushina didn't bother to hide their identities. It would be a waste of effort.

Either they lived and it stayed silent, or they died and it wouldn't matter. "Uzumaki-san…I'm sorry to have gotten you and your children involved in all of this."

"I want to blame you…" Kushina stated. "But that's irrational. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. If they hadn't followed me out here, I think things would be different. But I can't dwell on that now. At least they're still alive, unlike the unfortunate that got caught up in the attack."

The worried mother bit her lips. "Neither one of them should have seen this type of battlefield. Not at their ages. Not this generation…"

"Tell me about them." Mei asked.

"Isaribi is a shy, but sweet girl who has cold exterior when you first meet her," Kushina fought a losing battle to hold down the tears. "Her upbringing made her a bit jaded, and because of some of the things she did in her past she's been left in a fragile state…but she's very reliable, and I think she'd grow into a stable and happy person with the right people and environment.

"And my little Naruto…" Kushina couldn't hold back the tears anymore. "He was too innocent for this. The way he looked at me when I found myself slipping back to how I was during the war, not to mention now too many people know he's a jinchuuriki. They'll be after him—I didn't want this life for him!"

"Get over it." Zabuza cut in, polishing his blade. "It was the same with Haku. They were born with power, through genetics or circumstances, and in our world that makes them great weapons to be used or feared. This country alone isn't fucked up; the whole damn system is fucked up considering all the facts.

"In the end, the weapon's actions are the one who wields it, and you can bet your ass that if whoever got Yagura under his thumb finds your boy and he can't fend for himself, you'll either die by his hands or he'll die by ours."

Mei snapped at him. "Zabuza! How can you say that?"

"He's right," Kushina said somberly. "That is our world. Power is coveted or discriminated against, but never allowed to fade into the background…but what about your boy?"

"Haku won't die." Zabuza scoffed. "I've raised him to be too fucking strong for that. He'll survive, and if you've done the same, so will your kids. If they can't survive until we find them, then we'll simply avenge them by placing the head of whoever is manipulating Yagura at their graves, even if we have to burn the world down to do it."

* * *

><p><em>With Naruto – A Day Later<em>

Naruto snarled with his senses on full alert. Lack of sleep was starting to test the limits of his so-called boundless energy. It had been a day-and-a half since he busted out of captivity after the hunter-nin slipped a seal on him, and the bastards wouldn't give up!

"Chill out kid," a man in a light-blue kimono and twirling a metal pipe sat lazily in the branches, hiding his edge. His chakra had yet to replenish itself and he didn't want to rely on his tenant. His name was Utakata, jinchuuriki of the Six-Tailed Slug and former Jounin of the Mist.

Naruto huffed in annoyance. "You were lucky that they were dumb enough to put us together. They didn't expect me to know enough about seals to disable the ones they put on us."

The both of them were surrounded by hunter-nin of Kiri, waiting to wear them down both physically and mentally. Hunter-nin proved adept at stalking and occasionally hiding from Naruto's sense of smell and hearing. While Naruto and Utakata—mostly Utakata—had dwindled their numbers as they fled, they were being cornered.

Utakata shrugged. "In their defense, common sense dictates that most don't teach jinchuuriki how to play with seals or the majority would get rid of their own tenants. Their incompetence is my salvation…but leaving aside the hunters, what's eating at you?"

"My problems are my own," Naruto told him. "It's not something you can help with."

"Confessing your problem is good for the soul. Since you helped me out, the least I can do is lend an ear in fairness. I hate to be in the debt of others."

Naruto sighed and told him about the sudden battles and how Kushina was cold during the events. "I've never seen her like that…I'm afraid I won't be able to see her as the kind Mom I've grown to love after all this is over."

"She did what she had to save you," the older jinchuuriki stated. "You're still wet behind the ears, but quite frankly she did an admirable job in prioritizing your lives over everyone else's when faced with overwhelming odds. If anything she was too nice and adjusted for a kunoichi and mother."

"_**The slug man is right,**_" Kurama chimed in. "_**I've been inside her, seen what she's seen, and experienced what she's experienced. You have no idea of what she went through at the age you were jumping around playing pranks on everyone to mask your pain. You humans are easily the most destructive beings on the planet, and you continue to grow in numbers at that. War will always return by your hands, and each time will be more devastating than the last.**_

"_**Welcome to the world you shinobi have created.**_" The fox finished with a snarl.

"Either way," Naruto sniffed the air. "We're running out of time. It would be easier for you to let your demon fill your reserves and then blow this place if you want to escape. I won't drag someone else with me into what could be Hell."

"I'll be staying with you, since there's safety in numbers and all. As for the demon, I don't want to use its power." He stated firmly. "Nothing but misery has come from having it."

"Standard problem of having a chakra demon shoved inside you," Naruto sighed. "It was the same with me and Gaara…actually, he had it worse."

Utakata arched an eyebrow. "Who?"

"The container for the One-Tailed Raccoon Dog," Naruto scratched his head. "When all of this is over, I'm writing him about whomever it is that's screwing with the Bijuu. Kurama does not want to fall under someone else's control again and, from what you've told me, whoever did it was powerful since Yagura had complete co-existence."

"I thought those were only rumors," Utakata admitted. "At least until they tried to capture me. One of the hunters tried to bait me by mentioning my former master's notes and there's something I need to confirm with my own eyes. Besides, I know the entrance to the Depths, so consider it payback for the save."

(A/N: Music Recommendation: Condemned to Die - Heavenly)

A sudden shower began falling over the area. Although it was faint, Naruto's senses told him it was not normal rain. "What is this?"

"_Mist Rain…_" Utakata jumped down from the branch he rested on. "It seems like we won't be able to rest any longer. Hide-and-Seek is over."

The hunters moved. The sound of crunching grass and wood being stepped on was barely covered by the drizzle. Their numbers were roughly two-dozen, attacking from the front and back for a two pronged attack.

The jinchuuriki duo stood side-by-side. Naruto took a deep breath and told himself what he did now was necessary, allowing tainted chakra to form a coat. Utakata cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, placing his weapon to his lips.

**Then they split.**

Utakata fell back to cover the rear. Breathing out a torrent of bubbles, they formed a wall that surged out towards his enemy. With a snap of his fingers, a chorus of explosions rocked the air, and the battle had begun.

Naruto advanced to the front. The dozen he was to fight were closing in fast. Making the seal of the Shadow Clone, two-hundred appeared and charged the line.

The unit acted as one. "_**Water Style: Water Army Water Demon Technique!**_"

With four seals, water surged from the river that passed by. Gathering and forming spiraling streams, the controlled water swiped the clones out of existence. The streams then converged and took the form of a serpent, capable of devouring the jinchuuriki.

Overflowing his stomach with chakra to offset the _Mist Rain_, Naruto unleashed a massive _Air Bullet_ that scattered the water demon into a blooming flower of stray droplets and obscured both sides' vision. Bursting through the layer of lingering water, a spiraling ball of condensed chakra was in his hand. "**RASENGAN!**"

The unit of hunters dodged, allowing the attack to hit the ground. The impact caught them off guard when it unleashed a shockwave and upturned the earth itself, throwing up a cloud of dust and scattering them along with their foot hold. Before they could pull themselves together, Naruto struck.

Pulsing chakra into the seal on his glove, the Nine-Tailed Fan emerged in its blade form and chakra flowed through it in grave amounts, extending the blade far beyond his reach. Cleaving through the dust cloud in while hidden, the surprise attack took out two of them as Naruto appeared like a demon out of Hell—eyes red and bearing canine fangs.

"_**Water Style: Water Wheel!**_" Retaliation—a ring of water thrice his size barreled forward, swallowing the grass and earth in its path and turning it the color of muddy brown.

The grip Naruto had on his weapon tightened. The blade split open to reveal nine prongs and formed the fan, siphoning his wind chakra. Standing in the center of the brood of incoming hunters, he was the eye of a storm. "_**Tempest Twist!**_"

The counter was unleashed as he devoted his chakra into a raging, spiraling ring that expanded and swept them off their feet and around. The chakra-laced gale was buffeted by the rain, poking holes in the fierce wind and downgrading it. So he swung again towards the grouping that was in his sight. "_**Wind Scythe!**_"

A rolling wall of invisible blades barreled down on a group of three. Two split to either side, while the remaining put his hands to his lips and blew. "_**Water Style: Water Trumpet!**_"

The spouted water slammed into the wall and created a curtain of showering drops. But rather than fall to the earth, they defied gravity and hung there at the command of the second. Then in a dazzling display of control, they spun and wove together to form a water saw that was fired.

Naruto spun on his heel and turned as the saw cut off a tuff of his hair. The rumble of water being churned as he settled prevented him from being grinded and shredded by the _Tornado of Water_ that came from the left. Applying chakra into a seal on his gloves, he grabbed five smoke bombs and threw them down.

From the tide of smoke, clones appeared in mass quantities as a mere distraction while the original repositioned himself. The clones were quickly struck down by the barrage of attacks from the original remaining hunters on his side, and the sound explosions told Naruto Utakata was still fighting. He stood behind a tree desperately catching his breath.

_**Crunch!**_

Naruto fell and spun on his tailbone in a break dancing maneuver once he heard the light sound of grass being stepped on from behind. He narrowly avoided a debilitating stab at pressure points in his neck, rendering him into a state of false death. The female Hunter-nin was about to follow up with a second blow as he came up to his feet using the momentum.

The fan closed and forged the chakra blade once again. He decisively thrust into the enemy and slipped the blade through the ribs—all the way up to the steel shrouded by dense chakra. The heart and lungs were ruined, and the spine was severed.

The woman had already died when he pulled the blade out to the side, taking an arm off in his efforts to free the solid portion of the weapon. Blood splattered over his combat clothes and face, leaving in tiny drops of red that tainted his yellow hair and refused to be washed out by the rain. That was three.

Naruto would like nothing better than to cringe at the sight of how her body fell like a broken doll made of flesh and bone, but he couldn't spare the emotion right now. An enemy to be defeated, not a person, he had to tell himself. He had to cut down the enemy to survive.

_**Hesitation on the battlefield was a sin.**_

Hands sprung out of the ground and wrapped around Naruto's ankles, threatening to bury him with the _Twin Decapitation_ technique. As they pulled, the jinchuuriki reversed his grip and plunged the blade of chakra into the ground, dead in the center between his legs. The hands went still; their owner had been impaled and now was stuck in his pre-prepared grave.

That was four. Eight left. Refocusing towards the center, a spiraling torrent of water was fired towards him silently.

Naruto attempted a _Body Flicker_, but the hands around his ankles held strong even in death. He was slammed by the _Azure Dragon Palm_ technique and his world spun as he went tumbling on the ground. Halting himself by digging his claws into the ground and creating an upturned trail, Naruto fell on all fours and snarled in a feral manner.

Survival—instinct pushed him to the mindset of a beast. Placing the Nine-Tailed Fan's handle in his mouth, he held it between his teeth. **Then he dashed.**

Streaking as a blur, the blade of chakra ran through another two hunters that were two slow. Spilling their life blood and organs across the damp grass, the scent passed Naruto's nose and he vomited. Damn enhanced sense of smell.

Six left. Or was it seven? His mind struggled between instinct and rationality. In that moment, two hunters dashed at him from opposite sides. "_**Fire Style: Great Fireball!**_"

One breathed of a loose flowing wave of flames, barreling forward like an unstoppable wall of heat. The other breathed out an all encompassing surge of water, crawling over the earth in bounds and tumbling forward. "_**Water Style: Wild Water Wave!**_"

Collaboration—the attacks of fire and water clashed, a bellowing cloud of steam caught up the jinchuuriki, who took to the air. Pain ate away at him as the heated vapor scalded his flesh and senses beyond use. He fell to the earth, rolling in pain and screaming with his weapon in his grasp.

Before he could right himself three _Water Whips_ took hold of his arms and neck, followed by regulated electricity. "GAAAAAAAAH!"

Senbon doused with sedative poison pierced his flesh with small gushes of blood as they hit the mark to weaken him further. Kunai struck his tendons, rendering his legs useless as they bore through. Lost in the pain of the rippling electricity, Naruto felt nothing as the weapons tore into him, the lightning occupying all his pain receptors to the point he couldn't scream anymore.

Merciless—hunters do not show mercy regardless of age. Sealing was ineffective, so they would cripple him until he could no longer move. As three of the six remaining hunters bound and shocked him, the other three continued their ranged assault until the blond was dyed red, his body leaking tears of blood.

They only ceased with the electricity when Naruto's body was burned from the lightning that had rippled through it. The conductive metal of their senbon and his weapon fused together with the flesh—to the point that the fingers could no longer be discerned. The scent burnt human meat wafted off him and his features went to their default state.

Wavering, he fell to his knees with his arms bound. His consciousness could take the pain no more, fading with every wild beat of his heart pounding in his deafened ears. Falling into the black, visions of the sea maiden floated like seeds of a white dandelion, carried on the wind.

He trembled as they closed in. His mind lost all thoughts but one. "_My fault…convinced her…to bring me…ha__**ve…to…save…**_**ISARIBI-NEE…!**"

Power pulsated through his body. Wide eyes revealed how his pupils contracted into slits once again, as sky-azure turned blood-crimson. His whiskers swelled as the grim malice followed, and fangs were bared. "**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHH H!**"

A _Sonic Roar_ flattened the earth and became an expanding wall of pressure that pushed back his assailants and their techniques back. Senbon popped out and wounds healed, muscles and skin stringing themselves back together as the sedatives in his blood were boiled to an inert state. The coat of tainted chakra bubbled over and became a shroud with twin tails that danced as he rose.

The atmosphere cringed. Flowing into the Nine-Tailed Fan, tainted chakra formed an elongated blade of bloodthirsty scarlet. It was a bubbling blade of chakra that screamed for murder and slaughter—a weapon to kill and corrode.

In a flash, the blade was swung to cut the very horizon itself, shredding the muscles in the arm that was used and then repairing it. The four caught in the wake of the blade were cleaved instantly, the halves being decomposed by the taint and their minds destroyed by an absurd amount of pain. The following sonic boom scattered everything else under the rain and in his range.

"**My God!**" One of the remaining two blurted out. Naruto immediately snapped his free hand out. The shroud stretched and became an extension of his limb, using malicious fingers to coil him.

The last hunter dodged, but was snatched when a second hand and arm sprouted from the first chakra arm. "**Please don't—**"

He crushed them without mercy. Instant pressure ruptured flesh and organs, as the insides were forced to escape by every orifice. Eyes popped out of the sockets and mashed against the mask, seeping out along with blood that made it seemed like they were crying. The tainted chakra invaded their corpses and decomposed them until even bones were gone.

_**Kill the enemy. Crush them. Leave nothing behind. Everything to save her!**_ Infinite thoughts repeated that mantra. Like a string of chalk writing filling a green chalkboard until it was white, Naruto's mind had eroded with the emergence of the third tail.

Flesh started to peel. Murderous thoughts consumed him, stemming from his own heart and merging with the rage-filled chakra that had yet to be purified. The mindscape, in which Kurama silently observed the corruption, became dyed in red as the rolling grass fields withered away.

_**Hmm…it would seem everything that had built up was ready to be unleashed. He's going into a Second Stage transformation with his own darkness driving him.**_

Before he could fall into madness completely, a bubble filled with water swallowed his head. It mugged him of his ability to breathe as it ripped the air from his lungs, threatening to collapse them. Bordering unconsciousness, the bubble popped and spared him death.

Naruto fell to his knees and coughed wildly. His mind reset and leaving him with a single tail and several patches of missing skin.

"**Damn kid, quit making me break my stride to keep your head cool!**" Utakata shouted from his own side. "You flip out any further and you'll be too feral to accomplish anything. Just sit there in time-out!"

(Music Recommendation: _A Hurricane Fencer_ – Fate Stay Night Soundtrack)

The older jinchuuriki was surrounded by a ring made of countless bubbles that spun around his body, joining him as he danced agilely around his assailants. For someone who had a giant slug sealed inside them and dressed in a kimono, he proved that he was rather nimble. He avoided whips of water, powerful spurts, and other obstacles with ease.

Senbon and other tools that got too close came headfirst into the ring of bubbles, which were all laced with his _Acid Permeation_ technique and melted away. The rain pelted away at the layers, but he only needed them as a minor deterrent.

"Hup!" Utakata sighed as he back-flipped off his tree branch and settled into his cool state.

One of the hunters used an _Archerfish_ technique to release a powerful jet of water and shattered the thick limb. Placing his straw in his mouth, he blew an _Ink Bubble_ that swallowed the hunter and popped, leaving no trace of the body.

Another tried attacking from behind as he touched down on the ground. Steel wire gleamed in his hand. He was caught off guard when he tried binding him, only for the jinchuuriki to have been a _Bubble Clone_.

"Over here," the jinchuuriki's voice came from the right and he looked.

A _Bubble Bomb_ rupture in front of him with a flash of yellow light and rocked the space around it with force. Blinded and deafened with his ear drums ruptured. Helpless, a _Drowning Bubble_ latched onto his head, refusing to part no matter what he did and drowned him like it failed to do Naruto.

"Enough!" The lead hunter and the rest gathered in a circle, stand on the nearby stream. Pouring chakra into converting the water into mist, they performed a mass _Hiding in the Mist_ technique.

"**Kid, get to high ground!**" Utakata told him as he blew a massive bubble to form a dome of protection around himself. "They're using the Silent Killing and Hiding in the Mist technique. You'll be out before you can use that fan to blow the mist away."

Naruto didn't need to be told twice. He climbed into the treetops, higher and higher until he reached the canopy. His fingers were delicately around the blade, as he waited…

Protected by the _Bubble Dome_, which was being eaten away by the slackened _Mist Rain_, his eyes peered around the mist-covered field. There was absolute silence beyond the patter of droplets hitting the ground. The jinchuuriki kept his breath still, completely aware that once the dome was eroded away he would fall prey to the _Silent Killing_ technique.

They probably wouldn't kill them, but getting stabbed by senbon in pressure points hurt liked Hell. That's how they got him the first time. Same tactic really—cover the field, close the gap, and then incapacitate.

**GYAAAAAASSSHH! **A piercing cry roared through the mist and was followed by the rumble ofthousands of gallons of water that rushed towards rain-eaten dome. Surging torrents took the form of a dragon that heralded the rage of the river molded by man.

_Okay, didn't see that one coming._ Utakata stared down the incoming _Water Dragon_ technique. _This is gonna suck…_

The weakened dome was torn apart and the jinchuuriki was stuck in a smaller bubble within the dragon's maw as it thrashed around. Undulating vigorously, it threatened to ravage the laid back shinobi—whose face was unusually tense as he gritted his teeth—and take him down its gullet.

Sacrificing enough chakra to ensure his escape, an empowered _Bubble Bomb_ was sent down the dragon's gullet as his shield gave out. The dragon ruptured with a earth shattering bang, leaving the jinchuuriki skirting across the ground until he manage to upright himself and skirted on his feet.

Hib body was trembling from the force of his own attack's shockwave. In the mist, with enough chakra left for a few minor jutsu, pale golden eyes wearily scanned for the enemy…

That was when the lead hunter popped out of the ground and stabbed though his leg with a kunai. Pain surged causing the jinchuuriki to nearly drop his weapon and clench the wound. He wasn't going to be running anytime soon with this injury and no healer.

A second jutsu blasted him against a tree and pinned him down until he couldn't move. The lead hunter closed in. The older jinchuuriki gritted his teeth and as his skin began to bulge and white flesh bubbled out. It batted the attack and hunter away before retreating back inside him.

He fell to his knees. "Grrhh…Have to move…"

Salvation—a piercing, phantasmal white chain speared through the mist and buried itself next to him. Utakata grabbed the chain and was pulled into the treetop to Naruto. Before the blond could reel him in, four blurs leaped from the canopy bottom around the boy.

Blowing a _Floating Bubble_, he sat on top of it and pulled the younger jinchuuriki in, who decided to end it once and for all. Tainted chakra mixed with wind chakra and flowed into the blade, unfolding the fan. He took aim at everything beneath him.

And then he unleashed his claws. "**FERAL WIND STYLE: CRIMSON GALE CLAWS!**"

Devastation in the form of mass of crimson wind of endless claws plunged downward. The mist was scattered, thrown aside like the inconsequential thing it was, before the massive tidal wave of air and pressure being dropped like a second ocean that crushed all beneath it. The land was torn askew, trees shredded down and ripped to shreds before the earth was gouged out.

The jinchuuriki wielded death itself and bestowed it upon the senseless fools who dared challenged him. Merciless blades of crescent decimated all. Hidden within the mist, water, or ground, the remaining hunters were cut down by the claws, swept away by the terrible winds, and crushed by flying tracks of land, heavy tree limbs, and weighed trunks that survived the first wave.

Utakata whistled as the _Mist Rain_ stopped with the death of the users. "Glad I wasn't on the opposite end of that. We've bought ourselves maybe half-a-day at least, but with the rebels caught or killed, the majority of his forces will be focusing on us soon."

No longer cloaked in power, Naruto breathed a shuddered breath at the needless deaths of the hunters that pursued them as he landed with the older jinchuuriki. Having clones work towards repairing as much damage as he could to the man, he realized it would take a better medic and at best he could only tend to it light enough to stop the bleeding and soothe the pain.

"Then we'd better move." He stared at his clothing and his weapon, noticing the cracks that appeared in the steel. "The sooner we find Isaribi-nee and a medic, the sooner I can wrap my head around this."

* * *

><p><em>With Isaribi<em>

"Ugh…" Isaribi moaned as she awoke to a damp cavern. The flicker bulb above only served to irritate her eyes.

"Haku-nii!" A child's voice came from the right. "She's waking up!"

Looking up, she saw a girl—no, boy in a tattered kimono. His effeminate and natural beauty was marred by the dirt and bruises on his face. "Can you hear me?"

She struggled to remember the face as clarity set in. They had been caught together. "You were…?"

"Haku," he helped her onto her feet. "I was part of the resistance and bought in when we were captured, miss…"

"Isaribi," she answered. "What about my…friends?"

"I believe they all escaped with Zabuza-sama."

_Thank goodness…_She looked to the child. "And you are?"

The little girl with light auburn hair and a ratty kimono smiled dimly. "My name is Villa Teruki. Welcome to the Depths, Isaribi-onee-chan."

* * *

><p>Now then, I made it perfectly clear that shinobi battles are not neat on a war scale and rarely collateral damage-free when civilians came around. It was unexpected, it was brutal, it was merciless—that's war and they use eight year-olds as soldiers in this series.<p>

Kiri had a graduation that involved murder before Zabuza upped it and killed an entire class. How many do you think broke from all of that and went through PTSD before—or if they were lucky enough—to make it to the age of twelve?

The main players for the protagonist of the Fall of the Mizukage Mini-Arc are:

Utakata is the jinchuuriki of Saiken, the Six-Tailed Slug with abilities the deal with acid and mucus. He can do a partial transformation and up to three tails of control, but prefers not to use its powers.

Haku is the only known Ice-bloodline in the series, and one of two one-handed seal users next to Guren. He hates killing and has a polite demeanor, but he can be ruthless if he has to. Please note, _**he is a boy**_.

Zabuza was the first major threat Naruto faced and influenced his life in the main series. He a master of the Silent Killing technique and his cleaver and repair itself using blood. One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kiri.

Mei is the future Mizukage and possesses boil release and lava release, making her a dual bloodline user and the only known one in the series. Her boy toy is Choujurou, a rookie member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kiri, and Ao is a veteran sensor-nin that managed to steal a Byakugan.


	12. Chapter 10: The Depths

**Naruto: Advent of the Spiraling Ninja of Uzushio 10**

_Author Notes: _

Yeah, sorry for the few months delay, but I got a new novella done and you can find a few of my works free in my profile thanks to that.

Anyway, there's about one more chapter of the Fall of the Mizukage arc.

* * *

><p><em>The Depths<em>

"Why is a child like you here?" Isaribi asked. "You can't be more than six years old."

"I'm related to Mei-nee," she fingered her hair. "Nee-san was found out as the leader of the resistance with two bloodlines, and they killed off everyone to make sure the bloodline didn't spread. My family was an offshoot of the Terumi's, and I only survived because they planned to use me to make her give up…"

"Mei…?" Isaribi wondered out loud.

"Mei Terumi," Haku told her. "The leader of the rebellion against the Mizukage. You were caught in the struggle and weren't originally a part of our faction, so you probably wouldn't have known. It's a common tactic: kill off all important or oldest clan members, leaving one behind to increase the value of the sole surviving member or ending a bloodline."

Isaribi frowned. She had done enough things in her past to warrant a jail cell, but being tossed in one for simply living seemed excessive. Not to mention throwing a child in jail for simply being affiliated with someone and killing off her family. "How sad."

Looking at the stone cuff on her right wrist, decorated with seals, she felt it hindering her chakra. It was still there, just blocked off with no way to vent it. "Why is there even a rebellion in the first place?"

"People with bloodlines are seen as monsters for various reasons," Haku told her. "While it started became of the Kaguya Clan attacking Kiri, it's escalated to a full-on purge. Even my father, who was always so loving to my mother and I, tried to kill me after he found out we were part of the Yuki Clan after he killed my mother."

Isaribi could only relate to her own pain of being ostracized and tormented. But these people, who were different because of the blood flowing through their veins…to be systematically killed off…that was wrong. They hadn't even killed innocent people like she had. "What happens now?"

"Most likely the bad men will come and take us away…" Villa put on a brave front. "But, I won't cry. Mei-nee is going to come save me and the others, and make our home a better place."

Even after everything, she still held hope…and it was killing Isaribi to look at her. Hope would only make the inevitable seem even worse than it was, heart breaking since you believed in an absolute only to have it thrown back in your face. She wanted to crush that hope so they could accept reality.

But when she moved her lips, the memory of kind words returned.

"_You're not a monster._" Those words gave her people who didn't fear her and offered her a home.

She clung to the false hopes of being returned to normal and killed innocents for it. It wasn't wrong to hope, but the path she had taken to it was. She wasn't reward for the path she had taken by having this body, but for clinging to hope even as it dragged her through a blood-covered ocean.

"I'm sure she will," were the words that came out instead.

Villa's face beamed a little brighter at that and Haku mouthed a silent "Thank you" outside of the small child's vision.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Some Time Later<strong>_

**CREAK! **The grating of the metal doors opening awoke the three cellmates from their slumber later that evening, letting in a chorus of begging and cries as four guards came in wearing masks. They grabbed Villa without a word and pulled her into their cold grasp.

"Let her go!" Haku ran up to them with lethal intent. However, a swift roundhouse to the face sent him across the room into the wall and he was out cold, falling into Isaribi's arms as she looked on helplessly.

Gathering her courage, she shouted. "Where are you taking her!?"

"This bloodline spawn has outlived her usefulness," one of the guards said coldly. "The rebellion has but few members left and even that monster of a woman cannot win by herself. Hostages are of no use to us."

Villa took one look back with tears in her eyes…and then she was gone. The door slammed shut and the screams from beyond them slowly faded out as the prisoners were herded away.

Haku slowly stirred. The knot on his head from the impact was discolored and swollen. With half-opened eyes, he took one look around and cursed himself for being helpless to prevent the circumstances. "…Damn it. She was just a child who committed no sin but to simply live."

Haku let out a staggered breath. Then, in a calm fury, he slammed the sealing cuff against the wall in hopes of breaking it. The sound of stone clashing with stone rang in the dinky little room, and repeated as he continued to do so until his wrist was bleeding beneath the stone. All his efforts amounted to was harming the flesh encased by the stone.

It seemed like hours passed before the doors opened again and the pair was escorted out and lined up with twenty other men who looked crestfallen. Chained to their legs were heavy blocks that would sink them to the bottom of a deep sinkhole filled with sea water.

Hope was nowhere to be found, only despair. Still, Haku refused to cower.

"Where's Villa?" Haku asked in a dangerously calm manner. The defiance in his eyes was a flame that the prison and impending death had yet to put out. And it pissed off the guards.

"It seems like he still hasn't learned about mouthing off about his betters," the largest of the guards cracked his knuckles. "I'm taking my time on this one. Send the girl he was with to join the brat first, then the rest can follow once I'm done."

They kicked Isaribi's stone block over the edge. The chain dragged her down with it. All that escaped before she went under in less than a second was a small scream as she was below the surface and out of the sight, another casualty of the nature of Kirigakure.

"Isaribi-san—" Haku's yell was cut off by a punch to the stomach as the beating began, followed by a flash of white as a fist impacted his face, marring his unusually beautiful skin for a male.

Within the depths of the sinkhole filled with algae and corpses that swung like kelp, Isaribi, once known as a sea monster, felt the cruelly ironic fear of death by drowning. Knowing that the moment she sought a breath of fresh air, gallons of water would pour in and fill her lungs, automatically blacking her out. As a native of an island that thrived by fishing and her role as a Kaima, she could hold her breath for a very long time without drowning, but the struggle to resist death for even a minute longer seemed pointless and prolonged her fear.

And indeed, if she had simply taken that breath a few seconds earlier, she would have never had to see the cruel sight before her. A guiding light that represented the future had been lost, never to be found again. A child who committed no sin shy of being born was dead.

Villa floated there, eyes wide in horror and glazed over. In the underwater garden of human kelp, that one thing alone made everything…shatter. Haku's hopes of reuniting Villa with her precious person were dashed in an instant, Isaribi knew as her body's reflexive need to breathe kicked in and water filled her lungs, taking her into a black world.

Suddenly, piercing green light shattered the darkness. Her eyes that saw only the void of black returned with even more clarity that before in the murky water, and she found herself in her Kaima Form. _Right, Kushina-san said the seal would activate if I was drowning, regardless of my will. A simple cuff with a few seals on it wouldn't hinder a seal made by her._

In all other circumstances, she would loathe this form. But, looking at the empty eyes of the child whose hair dangled like seaweed in the murky water, a cold rage took hold inside her. Rather than denying what she had become, she would embrace it instead. Even within the depths, her ears heard the sound of Haku's painful groans, giving her an outlet on her rage: Revenge.

She swam upwards with her webbed feet and hands, settling just beneath the surface as the guard raised his fist to break the ice-user's bloodied and battered face in for a final time. "I'm going to mess that pretty face of yours up for good, you filthy—"

_**Splat. **_He fell dead mid-sentence. The back of his head was _gone_, scattered over the floor and walls. It was a mess of pinkish-gray brain matter giving the surfaces an ugly, messy coating with sprinkles of the chalk-white skull fragment.

Before anyone could process what happened, green scales flew like bullets, riddling the guards with countless holes as the wall behind them was painted a shade of purple and red, several scale fragments embedded into the rock as well. There was no mercy in the attacks, and therefore no survivors. Death was all that was given, no quarter to be spared.

Haku wheezed on the ground, pulling himself up as the rest of the prisoners were in a stunned silence for roughly a minute, when Isaribi's head surfaced. A couple of them screamed, but their fear was displaced as the Kaima Form-clad kunoichi emerged from the water with the child's corpse in her arms, cradling it like a precious treasure that was now lost.

"Villa…" Haku said softly, brushing his hand over her eyes to close them before facing Isaribi and holding the chakra cuff out. "Break it, even if you have to take the hand off."

Without a word, she gripped the cuff and shattered it with her enhanced strength. The merging of physical and spiritual energies gave birth to chakra. No longer bound, Haku embraced the frosty combination flowing through his body as if it were an ally and comrade. He breathed deeply and glanced at the entrance that opened with more guards entering with bound prisoners to be planted in the undersea garden.

"A monster!" one of the guards said upon looking at the mess and the scaled humanoid. The group then unloaded kunai and senbon at her. The metal bounced off her hard scales effortlessly and, before they tried to utilize chakra flow, the chill of an arctic presence made itself known and devoured their bodies while demonic ice mirrors sprang up all around them.

"A monster, huh…?" Isaribi turned and faced them. Her eyes were now sharkish, and her tone was just as cold as the images of a merciless Haku that appeared in the mirrors. The fins on the side of her arms extended and became razor sharp. "Fine…like a monster, I'll drag you down to depths and dye the water with your blood."

The air was filled with screams and cries for a brief moment, replaced by blood and sinew that took to the air and then plopped harmlessly into the water of the sinkhole, diluted until nothing remained visible.

Stepping out of the mirror, Haku looked at the remains of his and the Sea Maiden's carnage with eyes that had been broken. He had failed to protect the child he swore to protect. For him there was no greater sin or pain.

"Can one of you free me next?" one of the other captives requested, ending the silence in the wake of the slaughter. He took one look at the deceased child and decided enough was enough. "I doubt I'd be able to escape this Hellhole to be honest, but taking as many bastards down with me will suffice."

He was followed by a chorus of others asking for their freedom. The two bloodstained killers had become what was left behind in the wake of despair. They became hope for all those who still drew breath in the Depths.

And so began the prison break.

* * *

><p><em>With Naruto<em>

Naruto stood at the entrance to a cavern mouth that led to a dark unknown. His nose had led him here, to where Isaribi rested…and he smelled blood. A lot of it.

It threatened to overrule his senses and he truly regretted that the alterations to his seal gave him enhanced smell. Fine tuning his ears with the bubble-wielding jinchuuriki trailing behind him, he charged in while listening to the cries of warriors from all walks of life engaging in combat, hoping to find his missing sister figure.

The sounds of chaos echoed off the cavern walls that were gouged out to make cells for the unfortunate and guilty alike that loomed in the prison that few knew about. The scent of blood lingered in the air as battle waged between the freed, but weary, prisoners and the guards assigned to execute them.

"**Water Slicer!**" High pressure water tore along the path in front of a guard, shearing through the stone as those caught within its way were thrown asunder and laid to rest by the shrapnel that were carried along the path. Those unfortunate enough to still draw breath after the cruel assault were bleeding and staining the rock face crimson as their fellow inmates treaded over their fallen figures with vigor.

"**Water Style: Gorgon!**" Water from a larger pool gathered into a ball and sent serpentine streams that took the shape of sea serpents large enough to swallow the guards and drag them to the depths, gulping one after another until the assault ended with a well-placed explosive kunai.

"This is a bloodbath…" Utakata said, watching the fighting as he went alongside the younger jinchuuriki. He then spotted some of the prisoners taking out their rage on a guard by bashing his skull in with a stone and tossing him into the pool below.

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks and then leapt back at the scent of frost and chill, avoiding as a flower of ice spikes blossomed just under his feet and carried the corpses of impaled guards whose names Naruto did not know. The attack wasn't aimed at him but at the rate the battle was going he was going to get caught in the crossfire.

Looking down at the origin of the ice blossom he witnessed Isaribi, her green scales covered in crimson patches of running liquid as she slashed through her enemies with an unseen rage. Her assault was assisted by Haku, who spoke no words as he brought the judgment of frosty ice upon his foes. Mercy was not found, even as their exploits began to take their toll.

Both were weary at the constant combat and, in a moment of weakness, Isaribi slipped up and fell to a knee. An opportunistic guard took a chance and lunged…only to be speared to the floor by a lance of chakra as Naruto descended like a messenger of death. Turning to the contingency of those he declared his enemies, he unleashed his Nine-Tailed Fan.

"**Wind Scythe!**" Chakra-laced wind shredded the opposition, cleaving through their flesh as the harsh gale sprayed blood. Standing with his blade form activated, Naruto noticed the cracking had gotten worse after using that last jutsu. His weapon would not last.

Seeing the odds have turned against them, the smarter or cowardly guards fled through the main tunnel leading to the exit and the prisoners followed, their bloodthirsty battle cries echoing—

"**Lightning Style: Lightning Surge!**"

—until tongues of electricity lashed out, the bluish flare illuminating the shadows and replacing battle cries with screams of anguish and crackling of bolts until the scent of cooked meat wafted into Naruto's enhanced nose and he cringed at the thought.

The group—minus Utakata, who dragged behind—ran into the tunnel, prepared for the worst, and encountered just that. Bodies were thoroughly blackened, smoke rising off of them as some of their limbs were twisted along with the rock by the sheer power behind the jutsu.

"None of you will escape," an older man stated before a wall of earth rose up behind both parties sealed the exits. "This prison was entrusted to us by the Mizukage himself! Allowing you to escape is simply not an option. I, Kozell the Elite, shall not allow it."

"Kozell," Haku whispered. "He's one of the veterans of the previous Mizukage's reign and a somewhat famous as a reasonable leader from what Zabuza-sama has informed me about. We had considered you a potential spy but decided against it…I never would have imagined a man such of yourself would be in such a place. I assume you are the warden?"

He nodded. "Indeed, I am."

"There was nothing reasonable about Villa's death…" Haku's voice became as frosty as his demeanor. "She was merely a child who committed no crime and was thrown in here to be murdered."

"I won't pretend to deny many of you were imprisoned, abused, and harmed for simply living. Nor will I hide the fact that I failed to keep my men's actions in check," he said. "The child's death, along with your deaths will benefit this country by making us united and ending this civil war. Kiri will become stronger for it.

"And once that happens, I intend to stand on trial with my men for our actions."

Haku shook his head. "That will not account for the deaths of the undeserving."

"It will not. But it's the sole solace I can offer you"—his hands ran through hand seals—"before claiming your lives as well. **Lightning Style: Lightning Surge!**"

Tendrils of lightning flared towards them as Naruto took the vanguard and threw up a gale of wind chakra with his fan to insulate the lightning. Once it died out he sent a spear-tipped chakra chain toward his enemy. The chain that speared towards the veteran's head was dodged by simply tilting it to the left and allowing it to slam into the wall and then retract, pulling Naruto in with his blade chambered.

Kozell leaned back until his body was like a bridge to avoid the slash and, just as quick, threw his body up and spun delivering a kick to the jinchuuriki's stomach while at the drawing a kunai and taking a swipe at his jugular, which was intercepted by Naruto's arm. The resulting gash left blood on Kozell's face as he stood and tossed an explosive tag towards the end of the chain path and turned to face his next opponent, never looking as the resulting explosive consumed a scream and a body hit the floor behind him.

"**Water Style: Large Projectile!**" Isaribi spat out waterspouts in an attempt to nail the man to little avail, only serving to fill the tunnel they were in with random puddles of water…which allowed Haku to use his next technique, using one handed seals.

"**A Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!**" Liquid senbon sprung up from the puddles like blades of grass and then went flying towards the man, who sunk into the ground as if the stone beneath him had become a liquid and rippled before resealing itself. It was the _Earth Style: Hiding in a Rock _technique. Soon hands popped out from beneath the rocky surface and attempted to drag Haku into Hell, but failed to do so as the youth jumped back, and Kozell emerged from below with a kunai in hand.

Using one of his pilfered senbon to block, Haku noticed the complexion of the man had began to fade to earth brown and he realized it was a rock clone. The figure began to swell as Haku leapt back too late and with no time to form an _Ice Style: Ice Dome_, leaving him in the radius as the rock clone exploded with a '**BANG!**' and dirty brown veil.

When the dust cleared, it revealed Isaribi standing in front of Haku, the pitter-patter of a few broken scale chips falling to the ground at the expense of the force at which the shrapnel slammed into her hardened exterior. Before she could do anything else, a wedge of earth slammed in Isaribi and continued, dragging her off her feet and crushing her against the ceiling. The impact broke several more scales and the force passed through her and damaged the organs within.

But more importantly, with no leverage she couldn't free herself. Kozell watched impassively as he floated from beneath the ground with a staff made of stone from using the _Earth Style: Rock Section Cane_ technique.

_**SWISH!**_ With a flash he turned and swung it upright while sending chakra through the weapon to raise its endurance as he parried the Nine-Tailed Fan's blade and countered with a well placed hit to the crack in the Nine-Tailed Fan…and it crumbled in Naruto's hands. Before he could despair at the loss of his companion throughout these battles, the staff was thrust directly into his forehead, smashing against his forehead and rattling his brain.

Naruto fell to the ground unconscious as Kozell leapt back to avoid the _Water Style: Large Projectile_ that raced past him from the pinned Sea Maiden. He was driven further away by a hail of water senbon that flew forward with the intent to skewer him, which was soon joined by rain of water spouts from Isaribi.

Using the staff to splatter the senbon that eroded his staff, he soon resorted to another tactic and allowed earth chakra to flow through his body and the stone texture surrounding them bled upwards, crafting skin-deep armor that was visible as a sheen reflected from the lights above. Standing there under the _Rock Armor_ technique, he weathered the blows as Naruto regained consciousness.

_**Okay, enough of this,**_Naruto thought before he kicked off the ground with his arm chambered as he charged. "**Haaah!**"

_Foolish…_Kozell thought, lowering his stance and fixing his eyes on the boy's neck. A solid blow to the throat would crush his trachea. He swung his fist from below at a speed the blond couldn't avoid…but only hit empty space as he vanished from his sight with a flare of crimson chakra.

"**RASENGAN!**" The spiraling sphere of reddish chakra surpassed the _Rock Armor_ and sent him flying into his own bulwark of stone. Driven to ensure his enemy stayed down this time, Naruto's eyes became red-rimmed slits as he charged forward and thrust a second time as the man raised another series of stone walls to impede his path. The jinchuuriki plowed through them all and charged a second _Rasengan_ into his other hands as he approached the Kozell, whose armor reinforced itself. "**TWIN RASENGAN!**"

**BOOOOOM! *RUMBLE RUMBLE***

The sound of crashing earth filled the cavern as it shook, clouds of stone dust blowing through the formerly sealed space as the path had been cleared with a huge, gaping hole in it. Haggard and weary, coughing up crimson life blood, the warden stood as his armor crumbled to pieces around him. Yet his resolve was still as hard as the stone that made up the Depths. "I won't let you—"

Kozell went silent suddenly…and then finally fell dead, only belatedly noticing the chill from the demonic ice mirror behind him as Haku placed a senbon at the base of his brain stem. It was finally done.

Crafting the _Rasengan_ a final time, Naruto's arms twitched violently before it slammed into the base of the wedge of earth that braced Isaribi and she touched the ground once again once it collapsed.

**BLAM!** An explosion at the other seal exit was made by a _Bubble Bomb_. Stepping in through the dust was the other jinchuuriki, who looked bored.

"The rest of the guards have left or died," Utakata said with a shrug. "The prison is ours."

"_Wonderful…_" Naruto said before curling up on the floor and passing out. A few days without sleep really did a number on him.

* * *

><p><em>With the Mei &amp; Group<em>

Zabuza stood at the entrance of the Depths, his blade having cleaved through the many guards that came out seeking to flee death. He had managed to obtain some information before dispatching a guy about a prison break and death and stuff, but it was worse than he imagined. "We missed the party?"

"Ao," Mei said, tilting her head to Kushina and not elaborating further.

He got the message, using his hidden eye to look further inside. "It appears there's a young man matching the description you've given us of your son in the tunnel a few rooms down, lying on the floor. He's being overseen by another male. Beyond that is where most of the people are…and corpses. "

Kushina nodded and body flickered over until she reached the tunnel and found him passed out, with Utakata holding a wet rag to his head. "What happened?"

"We've been on the run for days with little to no rest and he's been using his demonic chakra a lot." He then went on to explain the hunter-nin, the battle beforehand, and everything that ailed the boy.

Kushina immediately raised his shirt and began altering his seal, her hands ablaze with chakra as the array of lines hidden with the seals that held back the demonic fox were overwritten and reconfigured to aid his recovering and vent the buildup of tainted chakra. Time was irrelevant for her as she worked, until his fever broke at the influx of yang chakra circling his system.

She hugged the boy; kissing him on the cheek and running her hands over his body inspect him for anything that still needed treatment. It was as if the cold woman she had been in the beginning of this nightmare didn't exist. "Just rest for now, okay?"

Utakata looked on impassively as the rest of the group arrived and Zabuza asked who he was. "I am Utakata," he said simply.

"Are you the Six-Tails Jinchuuriki listed on the records?" Ao asked.

Utakata nodded and was about to respond when Isaribi walked in, still transformed and covered in blood. Everyone but Utakata tensed, while Kushina promptly and ran over to hug the girl. "Isaribi-chan, you're okay!"

Isaribi briefly ignored Kushina, focusing on her priorities while in a dissonantly calm state. She turned her gaze to the auburn-haired woman. She had been captured before she had ever heard the woman's name, but the subtle similarities to Villa were there. "Are you Mei Terumi?"

Mei nodded. "I am."

Kushina felt the muscles beneath the scales lose their tension, allowing the Sea Maiden to slight slump in her arms. "Isaribi-chan, did they hurt you? What happened?"

Tears leaked and her voice came out as a croak as her scales shattered into a fine green powder and he she regained her human appearance. "Inside…please. Haku's with Villa and the others."

Mei's heart skipped a beat, but her face didn't show it. She and the others entered the room, Utakata carrying Naruto on his back while Kushina supported Isaribi and silently asked her what happened. The bodies of all those who were under the water had been drawn up and placed side-by-side. Haku was there as well, eyes empty and cold as the Antarctic.

Zabuza frowned as he looked upon the damage that marred his surrogate son. "You'd better have murdered the fuck out of them. So help me Haku, if you went soft and pulled that false state of death crap…"

Haku bowed and spoke calmly. "There are no more guards left. We made sure of it."

Mei slowly walked over to the magnificent frozen pillar in the center of the room. At the base of the crystalline structure was a familiar figure at the center, resting with her arms crossed like she was asleep, barring the tinted flesh. "Villa…?"

Mei did not cry. She did not allow herself to fall to her knees and weep over the loss of her last family, even if a distant relative. Villa was just one of many casualties now. She could not show a moment of weakness—not now. Closing her eyes, she turned to the others. "Save whoever you can. If they can pick up a weapon, they fight after a brief rest. This ends as soon as we find Yagura."

Just like that, Mei walked away and the party split up to meet later. Kushina went after Mei, leaving Isaribi to get some rest with Naruto. Zabuza and Choujurou went to explore for anything useful. Utakata and Ao discussed business…that was going about as well as you'd expect give their clashing personalities.

* * *

><p><em>With Kushina<em>

Kushina entered the room where Mei was and applied a silencing seal. "No one can hear you now. It's alright to let yourself grieve now. Losing family is never easy, I know that from personal experience and—"

"Your children survived," she cut her off with no emotion. "I can't say what we feel are the same things exactly. You don't have the right to—"

"I'm one of the last of the Uzumaki. My entire clan was pushed to extinction, with only a handful of us remaining—if we're lucky. I stumbled around the remains of my village's fallen, some of whom were relatives I remember seeing me off like it was yesterday. My son and I personally had to bury them.

"I know you're trying to put on a calm face for the sake of morale, but if you don't show something then they won't consider you human. If they don't consider you as someone they can equate to, then eventually their faith and trust in you will waver. Once everything is over they'll need someone they can trust to take the Mizukage's hat."

Mei just stood there without a word.

Kushina shook her head. "If you don't let some of what you're feeling out, eventually you will make a mistake that will cost you everything."

"I'm not allowed to show weakness—" her lips trembled and tears trailed down her face. Villa's smiling face wouldn't stop flashing in her mind. She's…really gone. "—I can't…"

Only then did she allow herself to give in and cry. "I can see her smiling face before it happened…she was only six! My family, the loyal members that followed me—they're all dead because of me! I wanted to make this land a better place for people like her!"

And so, Mei grieved in private with the woman who had also lost her clan.

* * *

><p><em>With Zabuza<em>

Zabuza gave a small chuckle as he stared at the white-haired, shark-toothed boy in a water tank, his body half-water already. "Well, well, if it isn't Mangetsu's little brother. I was wondering where you had gotten to. Things have just gotten interesting…"

"Get me out of this tank!" The water-boy yelled. "I've been in here for months!"

"Sure, as long as you're willing to throw in with us," Zabuza said. "We're going to need all the bodies we can throw at Yagura."

"…You got anymore of those swords lying around?" he asked after a moment.

"Who knows? Maybe Choujurou here will bite it and you'll get his sword."

The glasses-wearing boy did a double-take. "Huh!?"

"Or we could find one of the others…either works." Zabuza shrugged. "Besides, the Second Coming of the Demon should revel in the impending slaughter of war. The feel of your blade gliding through flesh and blood, cleaving bone and cartilage as you focus on the eight spots and slice them out one by one..."

Suigetsu smiled at the thought. It was truly a sign that both he and Zabuza were representatives of Yagura's reign, assassins who reveled in the Art of Killing. "Deal, Zabuza-senpai."


	13. Chapter 11: Towards the Mizukage

**Chapter 11: Towards the Mizukage**

* * *

><p><em>The Depths - Strategy Meeting<em>

"We have two jinchuuriki with partial control, summonings, a seal master, a sensor, three bloodline users, and the rest are powerful combatants adept at water jutsu and aquatic combat." Ao summarized as he presented a map and pointed to a region to the north, where swamplands surrounded a lake that bordered a small mountain to the rear. It was where the Mizukage resided, who had to be defeated if this conflict would come to an end.

He couldn't help but rub his chin at the prospects. "In all honesty, the thought of the few of us going against a fully matured jinchuuriki doesn't inspire confidence, but it's all we've got now that things have progressed to this point. The key point in this will be whether or not a few individuals can disable or kill Yagura while the rest of our forces hold off against the amassed army and defenses in place."

Ao then went on to explain where the battle would take place and the groups assigned tasks. Their unit was to stealthy make their way to Yagura, going past the war zone itself using swampland that they would have to traverse quickly, where he would be waiting on a lake. There they could confront him, but the collateral damage would be lower, meaning they face the possibility of being assaulted by a _Tailed Beast Bomb_.

There would be two teams, one holding a jinchuuriki each, split apart and coming in from the east and the west. If one didn't make it by some chance or there were more guards than expected and sacrifices were made, they'd still have enough to fight.

"The Seal Master will have to remain out of combat at all costs since her role is arguably the most important. I don't need to tell anyone that failure means death"—Ao shot the jinchuuriki pair a look—"or enslavement. The purging of bloodlines will continue unimpeded and more lives will be lost as this country falls into recesses of history."

"_**No puny human is enslaving me again,**_" Kurama snarled inside Naruto's mind.

Utakata shrugged.

"I'd rather the kids not fight at all against a jinchuuriki in the first place," Kushina stated as a fact.

"I've been too through much at this point to back out halfway mom," Naruto told her. "My hands are already stained with blood…ever since I became a shinobi. It'd be better to fight and ensure that all the deaths until now…aren't wasted."

"I'm fighting as well," Isaribi said coldly. "I can't just let what happen to Villa go…this feeling won't fade away unless I can do everything to bring down this hateful reign."

Kushina's face melted into one of sorrow for a brief moment before solidifying again, she didn't want them to fight anymore but they were warriors who'd been bloodied at this point. "Damn it. Then, if we can face him near a large body of water, my summoning might be able to do something as well even if I'm not able to move personally."

Naruto raised a brow. "You have a summoning too?"

"The guardian of the Land of Whirlpools and her kin to be exact," Kushina said with her tone a bit mysterious. She had undergone the trial for it and made the contract. "They tend to be fond of women and are dedicated solely towards the benefit of Uzushio, which is why they aren't fond of Konoha either since they desperately needed help during the war and never got it. You look too much like your father for their tastes."

"That's not fair towards me," Naruto pouted.

"I know sweetie," she told. "The Boss Summoning agrees that it's petty and, while she could order her children to behave, they could still circumvent the spirit of her laws. You'll just have to win them over in time."

"Right…" Ao sighed. "Well, Yagura is currently positioned in the middle of a lake, so that should suffice. Moving on, Zabuza will be supporting our men on the front-lines along with Choujirou and Suigetsu. Having two of the Seven Swordsmen, as well as the brother of one, will raise morale amongst the men…"

Ao continued his role as the strategist to set up contingency plans. That night marked the beginning of the end. By the time the sun had set the next day, Yagura would fall.

The bloody mist would be cleared by the burning horizon.

* * *

><p><em>The Next Day<em>

The battlefield was a mist-blanketed swampland, thin trees with little greenery jutting out of murky water. The soft earth was packed full of hardy shrubs that reached towards where the light would break through the mist and fill them with the essentials they needed to survive. Turtles, salamanders, alligators, poisonous snakes, and all other amphibious creatures lingered below the surface along with fish, partaking in the numerous insects that dwelled within the environment.

There was a sole oasis in this swampland that encompassed the majority of the area, a lake that was not muddied by the waters of the swamps, and quiet reigned. That was where the final and most important battle would take place. A battle between beings that surpassed the norm and those that stood on top of the norm.

Naruto, Isaribi, and Haku formed a three-man team and were making their way through the swamplands towards the jinchuuriki Mizukage. Haku was in the lead with Isaribi, already transformed, and Naruto following.

The rest had decided to go through the other directions, making themselves a bigger target by having the head of the insurgency, Mei, among them. It was a strategic move, coming in from multiple sides and in waves to assault a sole target, allowances in case more than one vital member was killed, so they wouldn't all be slain.

If one jinchuuriki fell, there was still one more. The only unacceptable losses were Mei herself, as the face of the insurgency if she died it died with her, and Kushina, which meant that a rampant Tailed Beast would be free and other countries would swarm to claim it.

"_This mist is making it hard to see…_" Naruto muttered, annoyed as he hopped along the trees to avoid the water and wetlands below. Isaribi could swim beneath it with ease in her Kaima-Form, and Haku was literally skating along the surface of the water. He wished he had his Nine-Tailed Fan, but that was gone. Not that he was bad at the standard shinobi tools of the trade, but goddamn it that fan was freaking sweet.

"You get used to it," Haku told him.

Naruto thought about the current situation that led to this country becoming a powder keg and found it somewhat confusing. The routine extermination of bloodlines was something he never imagined living in Konoha. If bloodlines and power made up a part of the power base, by killing them off as they did they were weakening themselves. He, hesitantly, brought this up to Haku.

"Why is why we believed Yagura to be under another person's thrall," Haku replied. "The purge was only officially started when one clan that could utilize their bones caused such destruction that they were killed off with no survivors by the Kirigakure forces. While _that_ could have been considered a necessity in the eyes of most people, from there it extended to other bloodlines, even those outside of the country and the minor villages in it."

"… Did the people support that?" Naruto asked.

"The civilians have their own problems," Haku stated. "Living in these lands is hard enough as a shinobi, but the smaller and rural villages have an abundance of difficulties that are much worse. I was, for example, a simple peasant born of a farmer in a small village. Food was scarce for us, most going to those who can fight as shinobi, and it was dangerous with the abundance of missing-nin that this nation births. Most of the people couldn't tell a shinobi with a bloodline from one without, so it really didn't matter…"

He trailed off and took a moment to think over his words before he continue. "But Yagura made a pledge to keep the smaller villages safe as long as no one with a bloodline was found alive. If they were then not only was the protection voided, but a few days later the village was wiped out in an 'insurgent attack' as it was told. So when my father found out…"

Naruto picked up what he was hinting. "You mean he..."

Haku nodded, his eyes slightly glazed over as he recalled the memory. "Rather than allowing his wife and son to risk the village, my father killed my mother with tears in his eyes and then tried to kill me. My bloodline kicked in and… well, now we're heading through the mist-laden lands in order to topple a Kage."

Neither Naruto nor Isaribi openly commented on that. Not from lack of experience, but because it didn't need to be said. They knew all too well how the public could easily be conditioned to loathe someone simply because it was easier, mob mentality forming out of fear, ignorance, and hatred.

Discriminated because they were different, changed because of factors beyond their control, both had their own way of coping. Naruto wore the mask of a fool who cried when he was alone. Isaribi was isolated, closing off her heart and betraying her own sense of morals for the promise of being turned to normal, only to have been manipulated by the one responsible.

Their moment of silent reflection ended as Isaribi submerged and witness something surging through the water. She broke the surface and called out the attack. "We're under attack!"

As if to punctuate the point, a chakra construct molded into the shape of an alligator using the water itself emerged and took Isaribi into its gaping maw, before dragging her below the surface and out of their sight. They stopped their advance and stood on the mangrove branches above the water at the sudden loss. But there was no time to concern themselves with their lost comrade as the scent of ozone reached Naruto's nose from a lightning jutsu coming from behind them and the churning of water to either side of the tree reached Haku's ears.

Taking from the reservoir of chakra he drew from, Naruto used hand-seals to convert it into wind chakra and then poured it into his lungs, expelling in a single breath a gale that was known as the _Great Breakthrough_ technique from his mouth. The squall grounded the lightning through affinity and opened up the mist a bit as the leaves and weaker branches of the mangroves were carried by it.

The churning water to their sides became drills, liquid fangs meant to pierce through their bodies. Spiraling towards the pair, they chewed through the branch the two were on mere moments after Haku grabbed Naruto and leapt away. Like lashing serpents they gouged out furrows in the bark as they slithered up the length with a grinding noise in their pursuit.

Taking to the air in a chakra-strengthen jump, Haku ran through a set of three seals and took a deep breath. Within his lungs he melded the dual elements that composed his bloodline, wind and water, to generate a freezing squall that nipped at the inner lining of his lungs and throat as he exhaled. From his puckered lips a flurry of relentless cold and hoarfrost emerged like a billowing cloud of white and blue that swallowed the drills of water streaking towards them.

The _Arctic Winds_ technique buffeted the drills, stripping them of their heat and freezing them over. The forming frost overtook the rotations and slowed it to a halt as it consumed every inch. Soon they were nothing more that rigid poles of ice that sought to touch the sky and fell short. From the source of the water that had served as the base of the water drills, the ice that had ran over it from the excess arctic winds served as solid surface for the two to land on.

A senbon filled Haku's empty right hand while a kunai appeared from his gloves in Naruto's as the water next to them spouted upwards. From it emerged the kunoichi clad in deep-green scales, her eyes as black as the night and her fins extended with the intent to use them as blades.

Isaribi, her voice _less _human than before, asked, "Which way?"

Naruto sniffed the air with his enhanced sense of smell. The lingering moisture made it a hindrance, since it wasn't like he was a member of the Inuzuka Clan that had been trained in tracking, but he picked up three different scents. "Two o' clock, Six o' clock, and Ten o'clock."

Haku went through single-hand seals and let his chakra sink into the moisture in the air and the water beneath the ice, clinging to it and taking authority of it. The water turned to ice and then shaped themselves into needles that stood around him at the ready, an ice variation of the _Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death_ technique. Armed with over a hundred small ice needles, they were sent flying in the direction north-west of them.

The ice needles ran through the trunks and branches of the thin trees and covered them in a thickening layer of ice as they speared towards the shinobi in hiding. The ringing of steel deflecting the ice was heard as the shinobi avoid their cover for the sake of blocking and avoiding rather than being skewered. His location compromised, he moved to kill the bloodline-user with a kusarigama in hand.

Isaribi went through the hand-seals that she had been taught, her water element chakra seeping into the waters of the misty swamplands around them rather than generating fake water and then controlling it, reducing the cost. The water churned into a throbbing sphere twice her size. Then it violently surging out, dragging the rest of the water into the _Giant Vortex_ technique as it barreled to the south.

The sheer mass of the destructive torrent, plowed through whatever cover that had been provided by the thin fauna and trees, tearing out anything on the surface of the water and carrying it as the path of devastation was torn straight through in a line. The surge settled as her chakra, which had held it up, dissipated with the release of the technique. For a moment all was quiet and she wondered if she killed the attacker right out, but that delusion quashed as a _Tornado of Water_ drilled towards her and then slammed into the ice platform that had been formed, sending the ice crashing down atop her as she fell beneath the murky waves.

Naruto, now airborne again as he leapt before the ice pole he was perched on shattered, lacked the sheer destructive technique needed to flush out the last member due to his fan being destroyed, but he had plenty of explosive tags and kunai. Sending them out en masse, the rain of destruction fell upon the grove and water alike. Thunderous and deafening roars emerged as spout of water and sprays of splinters and sheered bark followed.

A bolt of lightning snaked out towards him, acting like a spear that flew toward him with the intent of piercing through him viciously. Too composed and fast for him to try anything special with wind techniques, he created a single clone and had it kick him towards the water before the lighting tore through where his chest had been and the clone was snuffed out. Naruto landed atop the water, chakra on his feet keeping him afloat, and then darting off towards the source of the last spear of lightning with the scent of ozone leaving a trail he could follow.

Lightning ripped through the air again, snaking towards the youngest shinobi who remained astride tree branches as he advanced. Naruto kept off the water as he moved, wary of the traps that may have been beneath the surface. He wasn't Haku or Isaribi, the water wasn't his native land that he could swim or skate over. He grew up among the land of leaves and trees, even if he left it behind. Thin as the trunks were, they still dave him a solid surface to kick off of and advance towards the enemy.

He abandoned the branch as the lightning smashed into the wood. It exploded, splinters flying and dropping down to the waters below. He jumped up for the nearest tree right afterwards and kept moving.

The opponent continuously sent out streams of lightning that darted for him, but he was fast enough to get away rather than trying to smother the element with its opposite. Extending his hands, the jounin then sent out thrashing forks of lightning that ran rampant. When Naruto leapt up to avoid it, the tendrils of lightning darted towards him like snakes seeking prey and slithered to swallow him.

Naruto crafted a _Shadow Clone_ and used it as a kickstand to spring further, leaving the clone to soak the damage as the memory of its destruction was fed to him. Now within range, he crafted chakra chains from the palms of his hands and then whipped them down, the pointed tips seeking to cut into flesh.

The jounin dodged as the younger shinobi landed and then exploded into a billowing wave of smoke as he detonated a handful of smoke bombs. Lightning snaked into the smoke, seeking out its prey above and below the waves, only to have a gust of chakra-turned-wind smother the lightning and send him backpedaling.

From out of the water three clones shot out, propelling themselves like missiles that bombarded the jounin. His hands blurred and struck them down, one after the other, only for him to freeze up as a set of wrists grabbed his ankles. The clone that had done so was then swung around like a flail, connected to a set of Chakra Chains beneath the water, before both of them were flung like ragdolls into a mangrove tree, the clone dispersing as a final set of chain came from behind the tree and around his throat, crushing his trachea.

Suffocating and his mind left to the bombardment of signals his body was sending out, he fell still as a kunai buried itself into his chest and heart. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he went still after a moment, death claiming him.

Naruto released the chains, dispersing them and the clone that stabbed the man in the heart. The reclaimed memories were unpleasant, to say the least…. In the last few days he had more blood on his hands than he thought was possible and the only end in sight would be when they captured the Mizukage.

His nose perked as he caught the scent of Haku darting ahead. There was even more blood in the air, hidden amongst the smell of frost. Naruto took a moment to look at where the corpse had now sunk beneath the murky water, leaving a faint tint of blood, and shook his head to clear it.

Then he went to settle things.

* * *

><p><em>With Haku<em>

Haku was pretty sure he faced a jounin of the mist as he created more needles of ice and sent the flying towards the man. It was mostly done in a spread to avoid allowing him to flee, but he didn't attempt to avoid them. Instead he spun the chain of the kusarigama around, using it as a mean of batting aside the incoming needles that he read the trajectories of and figured they would directly strike him.

Just as well, Haku kept his distance as he kept up the long range assault with more needles born of ice that whistled as they flittered through the air. The opponent was advancing though, carefully slipping within range as he battered the needles that were close to hitting him as he ran on the water. After the last barrage failed the jounin was in range.

Haku grimaced behind his mask as he drew senbon to use as a makeshift melee weapon. He was never one to enjoy violence or direct confrontation, but if he and the others were to get to Yagura then they needed to advance. To that end he wanted to use the _Demonic Ice Mirrors_. But against a jounin and with water beneath them, he thought otherwise.

Now he was forced into dodging as the joining welded the chain and sickle with a level of proficiency that was rare in these lands, using the weighed end of the chain to try and crack open his skull or otherwise debilitate him as he avoided the blow, only for the sickle's blade to try and catch him. Adding to the difficultly was the irregular angles at which the chain would move, almost slithering in fact, to ensnare him. It was most likely the result of chakra manipulating through the chain.

Dealing with the jounin only became more difficult as Haku's ears picked up a second set of chains coming from behind him and he was forced to throw himself into the air, twisting as the second set snaked past his torso. The weighed end was heated, an orange glow condensed around it as it tore through the fabric of his outfit and set it aflame. Landing on top of the water and bounding off a second time to avoid as the two chains crossed as they attempted to ensnare him, Haku noticed the _Water Clone_ that had joined the original, more emerging from the surrounding waters.

No sooner than he touched down did he notice that the surface of the water had been changed, thickened and given the consistency of some type of mire that held him in place so that he couldn't flee again. The clones surrounded him on all sides, twirling their scythes at the end of the chains with intent of butchering him.

As the blades closed in, Haku released ice chakra from the tenketsu all over his body and froze the moisture in the air around him in a thickening layer. The _Ice Style: Ice Dome_ was formed in time and held fast against the blades that tried to cut into him. That was the benefit of his clan's techniques, as long as he possessed chakra and as long as there was moisture in the air around him he could shape it to his will with few to no hand-signs.

Capitalizing on that, he called forth a blossom of ice spears around the dome, the moisture in the air and beneath their feet freezing over and into spikes that speared out and penetrated everything in its wake with frightening speed. The clones were punctured, their cohesion lost until the water that made up their bodies was loosened and froze into icicles clinging to the edge of the spears.

The original managed to avoid the ice blossom by leaping back and then upwards, only to be run through. A pike of ice rammed through his back to out his front, taking a lung out in the process as the blood and other fluids were slowly submitting to the invasive chill and freezing him over from the inside out. As he fell from the sky his body twisted to see a single mirror of ice suspended in the air behind him, then came death as he hit the water and sank below the surface.

Haku immediately set off. Jettisoning himself from the mirror he was in towards the direction they were heading.

* * *

><p><em>With Isaribi<em>

The _Tornado of Water_ drove the Maiden of the Sea deep into the murky waters of the swamp before the chakra holding it together petered out. Unlike the sea that she formerly swam in, doing unforgivable deeds that cost the lives of many innocent people, the waters of the swamp weren't to her liking.

The waters of the sea were a deep shade of blue, growing dimmer the deeper beneath the surface you sank, and kelp and coral were what formed the forest that loitered at the deep. Fish and other animals darted throughout the terrain, going about their business in schools or hunting for those beneath them on the food chain should they hunger.

The swamp water was an earthen-brown color, dank and depressing, lacking the scent of the ocean breeze. Twigs, branches, leaves and roots all made up the woodlands beneath the surface, and its inhabitants were mammals that flittered to the surface rather than remain in the deep.

But, in the end, it was a matter of preference, rather than anything substantial. Her eyes could peer through the murky depths with the same ease as above, her movements less encumbered as she could sift through the water in three dimensions, and her arsenal far deadlier.

Her opponent lacked the same inherit advantages, but made up for them with the arsenal at his disposal. Dressed in a black, skin-tight wetsuit, goggles, and a simple rebreather, he was mounted on top of a rather large alligator summoning that rested at the bottom of the swamp. All together they allowed him to stay under the water to hunt down those who took to the swamps.

She moved to take him out of the equation, but more alligators came at his beckoning, all constructed out of chakra and water. They clamped down on her limbs and pulled, desperately trying to perform a death roll and separate the limbs. She wasn't worried about the fangs of the chakra constructs breaking her scales through sheer force, but they hindered her mobility and her joints could only take so much before the twisting broke them and left her unable to swim.

Her cheeks swelled as she molded water chakra in her mouth, and then spat out a sharp and powerful burst towards the one tearing at her right arm. The _Water Style: Large Projectile_ was made of chakra, a construct that mimicked water flawlessly at the cost of being chakra heavy depending on the amount created and then pushed out of her lungs. At such a short distance the technique wasn't dissolved by the murky water, but punched straight through the fake crocodile like a cannon ball.

The fin on her right arm, now freed, grew hard as chakra reinforced its strength, making it into a crude blade. With it she cleaved through the other constructs and then darted towards the summoner. It was when she passed by what she thought was an outcropping branch that she realized her mistake a moment too late as it exploded as she sped past it.

A muffled blast that radiated outward in a pocket of white ripped through her and blood escaped from her mouth as she gasped, the red being pulled apart and tinting the water around her before fading away. No matter how her body had changed to be strong enough to resist the crushing depths of the sea, no matter how easily she could live under the water, none of that changed the fact that she was still vulnerable to such attacks.

Her focus shifted to the surrounding plant debris and fallen logs that had been left jutting out of the muddy bottom and caught sight of a modified explosive tag was meant to be used in underwater warfare. It converted chakra stored in to the tag as a concussive wave on detonation. As the shockwave bypassed her scales and shook her organs, it was clear that had she of been in her human state and only had mere skin to protect the organs it would have torn her apart on the inside or forced her to breathe and thus drown.

She extended her arms and used the _Scale Senbon_ technique, firing off the scales and then reforming them in short order. The spray detonated the vast majority of the water mines as they punctured the tags rather than going off when she was in the nearest proximity of them. The tags caught in the blast radius went off as well, creating a chain of muffled explosions were followed by pockets of air that were closed in as the bubbles blocked her view.

The large crocodile summoning darted out of the veil created by her, swimming with its tail going back and forth as it approached with an open maw. Isaribi avoided its lunge, not willing to risk the sheer crushing power of the jaws breaking through her scales. She noted that the summoner had hid himself rather than risk being killed as it circled around, coming back to snap into her a second time.

_Scale Senbon_ flew, but the hide of the alligator was too thick and the water was too much for the scales to travel through while maintaining enough force. Thus she was forced to dodge a second time, but the tail lashed around and caught her in the abdomen. The amount of force sent her straight into the tangled mess of roots that formed the mangrove trees above. She darted between the thicker roots as the crocodile pursued her, breaking through hardy roots with its bulk while snapping at her.

Isaribi eventually grabbed and tore off a thick root and crammed it vertically in its mouth as it bit down. As strong as the muscles were when closing, it snapped down with ease, but the thick roots managed to puncture it's snout in the process and prevented it from opening up again. She used the opportunity to rake out its eyes with her fin blades and forced it to retreat into the murky distance.

Movement in her peripheral vision grabbed her attention.

Her foe trying to escape after the summoning had been dealt with. He wouldn't get away of course. He was only human and could only swim so fast, not nearly as fast as she could in her current state.

Her fins extended and she took off. Once she dealt with him, she would meet up with the others.

* * *

><p><em>At the lake<em>

A single figure stood on top of the grey waters of the lake, the clouds above matching the hue below with the promise of rain impending. The body of the youth belied its strength, the stitch-like scar running down from his left eye a sign of battles untold. The grey, short hair that adorned his head was messy, untended to for some time as there was no need to maintain appearances.

The Mizukage, Yagura, waited in silence, both his mind and his tenant's one in the same as they followed the commands instilled into them by the mirror-wheel eye that loitered high in their mindscape, constantly whirling in place as it tethered them to its will.

The instincts of a trained warrior, one who reached the apex known as the 'Water Shadow', called to him. He opened his pink eyes and fixed his gaze to the left. The fingers around his staff tightened and the muscles in his arm tensed.

Silence followed. The water lapping beneath his feet the only ambient sound hidden in the mist…

Then there was a blur as a blond child approached with a spiraling sphere of chakra in his hand from above. The air chilled as the water beneath his feet froze and then shot spikes of ice from below at sharp angles, intent on skewering his legs and hindering his escape. A spiraling vortex of water from behind roared in fury as it dispelled the mist and churned forward to swallow him in the swell. A three-pronged attack from the three who arrive first to challenge him after crossing the swampland…

All meaningless in the end.

Yagura's staff blurred as it smashed the ice enclosing on him into frigid chunks. The butt then smashed into the frozen platform and Isobu's chakra seeped down into the crevices, changing within and bringing forth an instant bloom of a protective tower of coral that formed an anchored wall to protect his rear. As the churning water smashed into the bulwark and yielded, parting around the sides, a mirror formed of water chakra and the water vapor in the air constructed a clone of the incoming blond and the two met, smashing the spiraling spheres into one another and dispelling themselves to reveal neither had been the original.

Such was the power of a Kage.

At a glance, all three realized this would be the toughest battle they had faced thus far. But there was too much at stake, whether self-serving, self-preservation, or simple revenge, and they had to face him. Relying on back-up was meaningless in itself as they had no way of knowing of the adults had made it as well.

Thus they resolved to do their best as the final battle began…

* * *

><p><em>Author Notes: <em>

Okay, had to cut this early but yes I'm still working on it. Big Battle next time. Boss fight.


	14. Chapter 12: The Water Shadow Falls

**Chapter 12: The Water Shadow Falls**

* * *

><p><em>On the Lake<em>

Gray skies overhead rumbled.

Three set of eyes, filled to the brim with righteous indignation, subtle fury, and quiet uncertainty, fixed on the blank gaze of the Mizukage who release the protective cocoon of coral that had protected him from their initial assault and stood on a platform that remained, anchored to the bottom of the lake with a single shaft of thick coral.

Standing on the water as it shifted beneath them, a cold sweat broke out on the face of the ice-user. He had lost much to this man's regime and yet, looking into his gaze he noticed the Mizukage was nothing but a puppet. Even then, he wasn't certain they could win.

The muscles beneath the scales of the Maiden of the Sea were strained, taut with the desire to release. She wanted nothing more than to drag him into the depths for the sake of Villa, her fin blades lengthening at the thought of rage-fueled justice. Taking a step forward, she prepared to lunge and dive down, coming at him from below.

But, before she could take that step, Naruto was the first to change forward against the Water Shadow. The sooner he was defeated, the sooner the fighting stopped and the less bloodshed. The deaths at the port, the torturous pain inflicted by the hunters, the suffering of the country and his fellow jinchuuriki, everything led up to this moment. With that in mind, he shot forward, a _Rasengan_ forming in his right hand.

"_**Isobu's chakra forms coral to restrict your movement or attack,**_" Kurama supplied as his container charged into the fray.

_Got it,_ Naruto affirmed.

The Mizukage crafted another mirror from the water vapor and his chakra. The reflection pulled itself free in the same pose as its original. It would spring forth to catch him in the middle of his attack, intercepting him.

Naruto halted and spun on his foot, turning his back to the clone and thrusting the spiraling sphere forward. The clone mirrored the action, slamming its own attack through the mirror that had brought it forth. Before it could connect with the Mizukage, the mirror clone was dispelled, leaving him facing the blond shinobi that was now closed the distance.

Setting the shaft of his weapon in the crook of his elbow, hand seals faster than the eye could catch and water chakra seeped down into the lake waters. Just as Naruto was within range, the water rose and swept him up with it. The rising wall of water shot up, ascending higher and higher into the sky with Naruto atop it and trying to free himself from within it, until it reached its plateau and broke through the surface to take a deep breath.

Mizukage was still ascending higher than he was on his mushroom-like platform of coral that kept spreading as it rose. Soon he was looking down at Naruto, overlooking the lake and the lands that were his by right of his position. Thrusting the staff out, the wall of water lurched out and came down like a tidal wave, the force of the impact enough to flatten the land at the edge of the lake and the three insects that were swept in it.

Haku prepared to unleash a stronger version of his _Arctic Winds_ technique, the _Great Arctic Winds_, when Isaribi grabbed him. She dived, taking him down to the deepest depths, where the pull of the water was not as great, as he held his breath. Even below the massive wave they could hear the muffled echo of the monstrous crashes from above as the neighboring trees were smashed to pieces.

But, while they had escaped the massive wave from above, the dangers below were just as great as a reef the size of the lake bottom had come into existence courtesy of Isobu's chakra. And it was still growing, climbing and threatening to capture and flay them with jagged bits of coral.

Isaribi was forced to return to the surface as quickly as she could, shooting out of the water like a green missile and into the air. No sooner than Haku gasped for air did the spires of coral do the same, sticking out of the water like colorful spears. She grimaced as she lost one of her advantages, the ability to travel deep, as the water overflowed its natural boundaries due to the massive reef that took up most of the space beneath the surface.

"Where's Naruto-kun?" Haku asked as they touched down on the surface of the water, remaining aloft it.

"He was caught in the wave," Isaribi said as she raised her arms towards the Mizukage in the distance. Her scales stood up on the end. _Scale Senbon_ were unleashed towards the jinchuuriki. "I'm not sure where he was taken or if he's okay."

Haku gritted his teeth. There was nothing that could be done then. If he was okay he'd rejoin them. He focused his attention on the Mizukage, who was twisting his staff and using it to block the scales that came close to hitting him, and padded out her assault with his own _Thousand Flying Ice Needles of Death_.

Yagura put more spring into his step as he dodged them, occasionally batting aside the projectiles until he could take refuge behind one of the brightly-colored spires from his reef. Behind it he ran through more hand seals and the water at his feet rose and slithered through the air, carrying him atop it as it surged up and then came careening down in an arch.

The force of it caught Isaribi, driving her down and against the reef of coral hard enough that the thick material formed a crater. Countless bubbles were released in the process, carrying bits of green flecks from her scales that were crumbled beneath the impact. But she managed to rise again, standing and breaking the water's surface to see that the lashing and serpentine column of water was chasing Haku.

The ice-user gathered his ice chakra in his lungs until it was dense and breathed it out in a single push. The _Ice Style: Frost Bullet_ was launched and the compressed element flew towards the surging tendril.

The Mizukage jumped as the condensed frost was unleashed on impact turned the water into a frozen formation that fell apart as it crashed into the shallow water. Twirling his staff above his head, he used it as a bludgeon to try and cave in Haku's skull as he came down. He was intercepted by a blast of water from the Maiden of the Sea, sending him skirting over Haku and bounding off the water before he got back on his feet.

It was then there was a large shift in the water as the spires jutting out of it began to buckle. The coral was being bleached, breaking apart as a poison spread through its system. Yagura extended his senses and found the source of this disturbance in his chakra construct.

Naruto was below the water, pumping the corrupted yang chakra of the Nine-Tailed fox into coral at the Tailed Beast's suggestion. The chakra that governed and encouraged the growth of life, in its corrupted nature, eroded the Three-Tailed Turtle's own as it had eaten away at the hunter-nin when he had been cleaved by the chakra blade fueled by the same source. He was taking away the advantage over the battlefield.

Hand seals were made. The water around the jinchuuriki came alive at the Mizukage's behest, grabbing and ensnaring the youngest of the gathered and breaking the surface as a tendril of dense water once more. It flailed around and then slammed Naruto through the remaining spires, brittle shells of what they once were and fragile enough to break as the shinobi screamed with the first, second, and third spires.

Before it could do so a fourth time, a blast of frosty air consumed the tendril and turned it into ice. A hammer-like strike followed as the _Water Style: Large Projectile_ from Isaribi struck with enough force to shatter it. Haku appeared from a _Demonic Ice Mirror_ and scooped him up before he hit the water barely conscious.

"Wake up!" Haku said, looking at Isaribi laying cover fire. She was barely hindering the Mizukage, who was fixed on them. "If you pass out we won't be able to protect you and survive!"

Naruto's dreary eyes closed. He was a mess. One of his arms was visibly broken and twisted in the wrong place. His clothing was scrapped in large places, blood staining them. Within the confines of his mind a plea went out of for mutual survival.

Then there was a pulse of chakra and he lurched. Azure-eyes opened once more and turned a shade of crimson as flesh knitted, bones reset, and strength returned to him. He stepped down onto the water and was draped in a thin shroud of the fox's chakra, a single tail waving behind him. He roared as he charged forward to aid his comrade.

Yagura smashed his staff into the head of the Maiden of the Sea and then held his staff horizontally in both hands and allowed Isobu's chakra to seep into it. Creeping coral enshrouded it, covering it and reinforcing it to make it a more suitable weapon against the shrouded jinchuuriki and used it to block the incoming hammer blow.

The crimson fist descended like a sledgehammer and the impact drove the guarding Mizukage downwards. Because his chakra was keeping him afloat the water, it caved in until it hit the dead coral and made it crumble over a large area.

Yagura strained his muscles and knocked the hand to the side. Bringing the staff around it slammed into Naruto's right temple and then the left temple, before coming from below and catching him in the chest. He watched as the younger jinchuuriki went soaring backwards and then turned his attention to thickening mist in the air.

Haku stood at the center of it. Acting as the apprentice of the Demon of the Mist, he let the white shroud blanket the area. He was hoping it would by them some time and create an opening…

It wasn't meant to be.

Yagura made the seal for the _Water Style: Water Wall_ and exhaled the excess water. He moved it in a spiraling circle, crafting more and more as he did so. What was meant to be a defensive technique encroached more and more area as his Tailed Beast's chakra was vast enough to do so. The mist was swept away in what was a slowly growing hurricane, sweeping in the lake water and dead coral.

"Multi-Shadow Clone!" Naruto declared, hundreds of clones forming and surrounding the perimeter of the crushing bulwark of water. They all inhaled deeply and used wind chakra to craft _Wind Style: Air Bullets_ that were fired from every angle. The compressed air was let loose and ruptured with explosive force as they hit the water wall, tearing into the churning waters and thinning it out as it became unstable.

Naruto fell onto all fours as the clones expired, his shroud and whiskers growing thicker and his tail standing up. Then he darted forward with all his strength before the wall could thicken again. Like a crimson comet, he became a blur and slammed into the Mizukage with all the primal strength he could bring forward. The elder jinchuuriki took it head on and went flying, the constant stream of water ceasing.

"Haku, now!" Isaribi yelled as she created a _Water Pillar_ of her own. This one she didn't churn, but raised it to be as high as she could make it.

Haku appeared behind it from a _Demonic Ice Mirror_ and exhaled a thick gale of frost with the remaining chakra he had in reserve. The_ Ice Style: Great Arctic Winds_ caught the water and turned it into a massive and sleek ice wall, a mini-glacier. Yagura slammed into it and the cracking of bones could be heard as he rebounded off the surface, cracks forming where he had hit.

Then he tumbled into the water below and silence reign.

Haku and Isaribi were both panting, barely afloat on the surface of the water. On the last dredges of their chakra, they were exhausted. Haku pulled out a soldier's pill from his pouch and ate it as Naruto stalked towards them and crouched down between them.

His shroud had thinned to a coat. "Did we get him?"

The response came from the other side of the wall, as a _Sonic Roar_ rang out. The ice caught in the wake of it reverberated violently, cracking as deep fissures formed. The mini-glacier crumbled to bits and they witnessed what lay behind it.

It was black beast on all fours, draped in a thick shroud of crimson chakra, glaring at them with empty luminous eyes. Three tails swayed in the air behind it, before curling around and changing. It turned to coral, forming an armor-like carapace with jagged bits jutting out that would flay skin from flesh. It charged with a feral cry, running atop the water with surprising deftness for its size.

Naruto let loose a cry of his own as he dashed for it and was knocked aside for his efforts. The jagged surface of the armor tore the flesh beneath his thinner shroud, and the mighty limbs pushed him beneath the water as he was trampled over, leaving the two unprotected.

Isaribi pushed Haku out of the way and took the full brunt of it, her scales breaking and the denser bones of her Kaima Form fracturing. She was sent skittering across the surface of the water, bounding off of it once, twice, and a final time before a large splash was made from the impact. Her fish-like features receded and she sank beneath the surface.

"Isaribi-chan!" Haku cried as he moved towards her, only for the behemoth to start charging him again. He put his hands together to ready a technique when the water in front of him exploded and the beast was stopped by the younger jinchuuriki.

"**GRAB HER AND GO!**" Naruto screeched as he strained to hold off the other beast, three crimson tails of his own acting as extra-arms to pin it. "**HURRY!**"

Haku swallowed and nodded. He let himself fall into the water and swam to catch her before she sank too deep. Breaching the surface with her in his arms, he used the chakra brought up from the pill converting his fat to give himself the strength to escape the battlefield and look over her injuries.

That left the two jinchuuriki to battle atop the lake that was filled with dead coral bits and ice fragments, the grey skies above letting loose water droplets as thunder rumbled. Coral began to sprout where Naruto's hands braced against the behemoth and was crawling along the surface to consume him.

He gritted his teeth. _Any advice you want to share here? Before we end up unable to move?_

"_**Gather my chakra into your lungs,**_" Kurama spoke. "_**Let it soak in and then release a cry that makes the heavens and earth tremble. **_"

Naruto did as told, unleashing a _Sonic Roar_ that knocked away the falling rain and tore apart the coral eating away at him with a sound wave laced with chakra. It pushed away the residual chakra washing over him and spread cracks along the armor of coral that enshrouded the jinchuuriki of the Three-Tailed Turtle.

But the berserk beast wasn't knocked back by the assault. Indeed, it pressed forward with the intent of mowing him down, causing Naruto to slide back along the surface of the water while gaining speed. With no other choice, putting all his control on the line, Naruto used his tails to divert the behemoth still pressing forward and sent the beast tumbling to the side as he let go.

_I need more chakra! _Naruto thought. He couldn't do that again. Not like that.

"_**Can you handle it without going feral?**_" Kurama asked. "_**Your mother tampered with the seal after hearing about the time with the hunters. As soon as your cognitive state falls below a threshold, the flow will cease. In the middle of this fight, it will be your defeat and I would prefer not to have to reform or end up enslaved.**_"

In all honesty, he couldn't. He was too pressured fighting this thing, struggling not to break again at the memory of Isaribi being broken as the Three-Tailed jinchuuriki emerged from the water where it had been driven in. It didn't help that the coral-covered beast just stood there.

_What is he…?_ Naruto's thoughts trailed off as he noticed the fissures in the coral spreading, the loosened bits shaking. Instinct, heightened in his present state, told him to move. He darted atop the water on all fours as a spray of _Coral Senbon_ rained forth in a barrage and left sprays of water where he once had been as he circled around until the shots ended and the crimson-shrouded figure beneath the coral was exposed.

Naruto darted in before he could regrow the armor. His tails thrashed as they were reshaped into claws and then shot forth to rake across its face. The three tails of the older jinchuuriki deflected them as it brought its palm forth with the intention of repeating the _Coral Palm_ technique from before.

But Naruto and the fox were quicker than the turtle. He ducked under the thrust and brought his sharpened claws in a horizontal swipe. The Mizukage screamed in an inhuman cry as its sight was wrenched from it, the claws taking them away as penitence for the Maiden of the Sea as the armor of coral reformed.

Naruto leapt up and over the turtle, getting to its back and circling again. He was looking for an opening before it healed the damage its sight in seconds. It needed to end while he still had strength to bring forth.

"_**The Rasengan,**_" Kurama offered as a solution. "_**Focus on containing it while I bring the chakra forth and move it.**_"

Under the thickening rain he came to a stand-still and stood on two legs. His arm drew back and the malevolent chakra gathered and condensed. Streams of the chakra spiraled around the growing sphere, throbbing violently as it yearned to be freed from the container. Veins appeared on his forehead as he struggled to contain it, maintaining it as a sphere while its ominous glow contrasted the grey skies.

The other jinchuuriki, now armored and its sight restored, charged atop the water for hi m once more. Naruto roared as a chakra arm extended, pushing the technique towards the mad jinchuuriki. The two forces met and clashed, with the carapace of coral shattering as the spiraling sphere of crimson broke through it and met the body beneath it.

Swept up in it, Isobu's container was pressured as the arm stretched and stretched and stretched, until it could go no further. Then the Kyuubi roared within Naruto's mindscape as it forced the chakra that formed the length of the arm into the sphere and past Naruto's means of control. The technique ruptured as a result, the shock wave of the blast throwing the water as a wave that came crashing down on either side and swallowed both jinchuuriki….

…the rain fell down continuously with lightning crackling above as Naruto surfaced a minute later, taking a deep breath of air as he panted. _Tell me that did it?_

"_**I doubt it,**_" Kurama noted. "_**Isobu has the greatest defense amongst our kin despite being the most timid. I doubt it would be enough to cur him for long, so flee now that those fleas you call comrades have escaped and leave the rest to the Saiken.**_"

Far be it for the tired youth to do anything less. He turned and started swimming to the shore before the remained of his strength vanished and he was left stranded….The water rumbled, trembling as the atmosphere shifted.

"_**It's too late.**_"Kurama snarled within his mindscape as it felt the change, its kin's chakra no longer constrained to a human vessel as it manifested.

Naruto turned to see the surface of the water bubbling up, rising in a dome that rolled down a hard surface beneath the cascading water. As the amount of water petered out, it revealed a grayish-green crab-like shell with protrusions at the base. Rising above it were three flailing and plated tails that took the place of its hind legs. Beneath the monstrous-sized shell was a layer of red, its face resting ahead of the rest of its body with a large bear-trap like jaw and forehead with only the scarlet red left-eye exposed.

Barely able to stay afloat with his head sticking out of the water, Naruto felt like an ant before a giant as he looked to see the full transformation of the Three-Tailed Turtle looming over him. Its single eye was fixed on him. There was a sense of primal fear, seeing such a being and know it would come for you while you could do nothing against it.

Isobu's tails sank into the water and it started moving forward, mouth gaping as if it meant to swallow him… It was then a large bubble drifted down from the air to obstruct its path and the red eye of the Tailed Beast stared at it. Then the _Blinding Bubble_ exploded, a flare of light and force that made it cry out and thrash its arms and tails, churning the water.

"Seems like you had it rough," said a voice Naruto recognized.

He looked to his left to see that Utakawa had arrived, sitting cross-legged on a bubble that drifted just over the water next to him. His kimono was tattered in places, signs of burnt fabric and smatterings of blood on it. Despite that he looked as placid as he had every time Naruto had seen him to this date.

He stepped off the large bubble and onto the water, letting it drift ahead. Raising his straw to his lips, he blew another bubble roughly the same size that compassed him and Naruto. They began to drift in the air, light bending around the bubble's outer sheen and camouflaging them from sight.

"Are the others here yet?" Naruto asked.

"Should be close" he said as he steered the bubble towards the swamplands behind them and away from Isobu, who looked around for Naruto now that the blinding wore off. "We heard its roar and figured I'd come ahead just in case. Ran across the Ice Boy on my way and got the jist of everything. We need to pull back and regroup."

They didn't have the chance.

With a roar, the shockwave that emerged spread out and destabilized the camouflaged bubble, popping it while the pair were still in the air. Freefalling, Utakata quickly made a replacement beneath the two before they hit the water. But ultimately it did what Isobu wished, as he now found them.

Utakata went on the defense as the large Tailed Beast made for them, he focused on crafting hundreds and then thousands of little bubbles that were laced with the chakra of the Six-Tailed Slug, directing them to his will to form six trails, curving paths that flowed forward and then smashed into the beast. They popped with impudence as they met with him, smoke sizzling from where it impacted.

Naruto's nose twinged as he caught the acidic scent and noted peculiarity.

"_**Such is Saiken's power**_," Kurama filled in for him "_**Saiken commands corrosive fluids and gases, much like Isobu commands coral. Using those ridiculous bubbles as a medium he can contain where and what it destroys… however, its potency is reduced while Saiken is sealed and will never penetrate Isobu's shell.**_"

As if that last line was a trigger, the Three-Tailed Turtle sped forth, its shell smoking from where the acid had tries to melt through it as cut through the water. It would bore down on the older man before reaching Naruto, who was still unable to fight with the lack of chakra. Despite that, the man stared defiantly as he lowered his straw. Casting a shadow that swallowed him up beneath the rain-filled sky, Utakata was gone as Isobu met where he once stood….

And in his places there were six massive and white tails, slick with an unknown fluid that embraced with the Three-Tailed Turtle. They strained, moving and offsetting the mass as all six divided the strain. In tandem they rose, until it was forced out of the water with its tails lashing and roaring in defiance at being trapped.

Then they tossed the beast out of the lake, opposite the swamplands Naruto arrived in. The crash could be heard throughout the land as trees crunched beneath the behemoth, the ground itself quaking as it writhed to turn itself upright and lift itself up with its arms. No sooner than it managed did golden chains wreathe it, snaking around its limbs and mass to hold it in place as lava descended upon it from above, causing the Tailed Beast to shriek as it was covered in the melted earth.

A downpour of water followed, a floodgate that appeared out of nowhere from above like a tidal wave, slamming into the molten substance and releasing a veil of scalding steam the enveloped the entire area where it landed, shrouding it as the lava cooled rapidly into hardened stone. By the time Utakata returned to normal, reversing the partial transformation, there was now a mound of blackened slag as the steam cleared.

"So… did we win?" Naruto asked as his bubble drifted down to the panting jounin housing the Six-Tailed Slug, breaking the silence that permeated the air afterwards. To that end, deep fissures began to form in the mound. Boulder-sized fragments began to drop off and the sound of something hard grating against it filled the air.

"Doesn't look like it," Utakata said with a grimace.

Isobu shot out of the stone while curled into a ball that was spinning in a wheel, rolling its way back into the water and then leaping up to come down as a cannon ball and creating another billowing wave of water that was even larger than the previous time. It was going to swallow up everything that spanned the lake.

Utakata grimaced as he realized there was no way to get out of range in time, only to flinch as someone set their hands on his back. He looked over his shoulder to see Kushina there, a hand on him and Naruto. Chains erupted from her back and curved around them into the outline of a dome, the space between them filled with a shimmer layer of energy.

The wave came crashing down and dropped them down into the depths of the lake, the water pressing against the barrier as they sank down. Silence after the crashing ceased.

Naruto noticed her outfit was barely faring better than his own, points where cuts had drawn blood and there was an angry bruise on her shoulder that left her right arm shaking. Her breath was heavy, beads of sweat lining her forehead as she kept her eyes ahead. It seemed she hadn't come out unscathed either on her way there.

"Mom, are you okay?" he asked.

"I'll manage," she squeezed out as she withdrew a seal slip that contained Naruto's chakra and applied it to the back of his hand, forcibly injecting him with his own chakra to return his strength back to him. She then brought her hands together, gritting her teeth as she struggled to make the hand-seals for the _Summoning_ technique. "Just summon the Boss Toad…"

Isobu roared, the water carrying it as a wave of pressure that told them it was close. Kushina finished her seal and slammed the palm of his hand against the layer of defense that stood between them and the Three-Tailed Turtle. The water shifted outwards as smoke was expelled and a serpentine figure slithered out of the smoke, obscured by the darkness of the depths, and met with the Tailed-Beast.

Naruto did the same, slamming his hands at the bottom of the barrier. Suddenly they ascended as a larger figure emerged and then kicked upwards with its powerful legs, breaking the surface and into the grey skies that stormed. Coming to a landing on the surface, Gamabunta surveyed the battlefield with webbed hands on the hilt of his blade as the barrier atop his head dropped. He had already been informed ahead of time, before they left, about his role.

The shifting surface of the shot into a plume as two other massive figures emerged in the distance. One was the Tailed-Beast, but wrapped around it was a creature with crimson scales that were patterned with gold ovals with black outlines. A mane of black hair that was tipped with crimson flowed around it's body, while it's razor sharp claws continuously scrapped at the shell. Golden eyes with white-rimmed slits were narrowed as its fox like mouth was opened to reveal fangs, its black ears raised. A fox with a body like a snake, a dragon with the head of a fox and fangs.

She was boss of the Nguruvilu Summonings, Lady Filu.

Despite constricting as tightly as she could and raking her claws against the shell, she couldn't pierce it. Three thick and armored tails swayed madly, before lashing at her elongated body and the impacts left welts against the scales that threatened to break under the strikes, forcing her to let go. She dove back into the water and slid, her body moving in wavy motion that made it seem like she was slithering through it.

Isobu refused to let her escape that easily. Opening his maw he fired massive blobs of chakra-kneaded water, sending shot after shot of the _Water Release: Great Water Mass Bullets_. The water bullets smashed against the surface of the water and then ruptured, sending up spouts that threatened to send her sailing upwards.

Agile as she was, the boss of the Nguruvilu race avoided them deftly as she circled it, the shots only ending as Gamabunta laid down cover fire with his own _Water Style: Gunshot_ technique that caught Isobu in the face. The Three-Tailed Turtle switched targets, sending out another trio of shots towards the Toad Boss.

"**Hold on!**"Gamabunta warned the three atop his head before he leapt into the air with his powerful legs. The shots left trails as they passed under him and continued sailing into the swamplands in the distance and displacing the mango trees and murky water with thunderous spouts.

At the apex of his jump he drew his massive blade. Then he descended onto the Tailed-Beast with all his weight and thrust the blade down. It failed to pierce the shell and was then relegated to fending off the thrashing tails with the steel in his hands.

He jumped off again, the force of his legs pushing the turtle beneath the surface. The water crashed down around the turtle while the massive toad sailed backwards through the air and back down into the water at a safe distance with a major splash. Only its head remained above the water, housing the three atop it, while the Nguruvilu's head surfaced next to him.

"Are you all right, Lady Filu?" Kushina asked her summoning.

"**As well as one can be,**" the summoning responded, her body shifting under the water. "**My kin and I aren't well suited against such an opponent, I'm afraid. That shell is quite resilient.**"

Gamabunta agreed. "**Gonna be a pain to deal with.**"

It was then that another figure touched down, her auburn hair disheveled and her cloth torn in particular places where she had fended off more assailants on her way toward the battlefield. She leapt from the surface of the water to the top of the Toad Boss' head.

"How are the kids?" Kushina asked as Mei.

"Ao managed to get them out of the immediate area." She pushed her hair out of her eyes and then fixed them ahead. "However, we need to end this quickly."

Lady Filu felt the water beneath her shifting and dove down to see the growing coral tower that was rising from the bottom and encompassing where the turtle had sank beneath the wave. It was growing at a frantic rate, branching out with jagged limbs that began filling the water. Breaking the surface, she warned them of the impending threat. The branches jutted out of the water like a bulwark that drove them backwards, leaving a mound of coral that resembled a bud of a flower that had yet to blossom.

Within it, Saiken and Kurama felt the melding of Yin and Yang chakra and told their respective hosts that they were on the verge of being on the wrong end of a Tailed-Beast Bomb. Once they told the others, the summonings did their best to halt it, with Gamabunta trying to cleave the coral away with his sword infused with natural energy while Lady Filu firing a pressurized spray of water from her mouth to break through it with no success, as it repaired itself to quickly.

Utakata fixed his eyes on where the buildup was at according to the beast inside of him. Apparently Isobu had the slowest charge time, but that just meant they had another thirty-seconds. The coral that was damaged was re-growing too quickly for them to manage as they were. But…

"Naruto," he said, grabbing the youngest shinobi's attention. "Get ready to release a gust that's concentrated in one spot." He pointed towards it. "I'll use my Acid Spray and you focus it so it gets through the thickest layers. From there the others can hit it with the hardest attacks they have until we punch a hole in it."

"Lady Filu, can you handle that part?" Kushina asked.

"**I believe so.**"

"I'll finish then," Mei said as she began forming hand-seals.

* * *

><p><em>Twenty-five seconds…<em>

The chakra of the Six-Tailed Slug was molded into acidic vapor within the lungs of the bubble-user and wind was formed with the blonde jinchuuriki. On a mental count of three they exhaled from atop the Toad Boss, white gas leaving Utakata's puckered lips and was backed by the gust that left Naruto's, his control focusing the wind chakra mimic the wind to keep it in a nice and tight stream. The resulting combination slammed against the coral and began eating away at it without mercy, its touch breaking down the hard reef into a liquid that seeped through the crevices and spread out to counter the regrowth factor until they exhausted their chakra.

* * *

><p><em>Seventeen seconds…<em>

Lady Filu followed up, summoning with her own chakra a dozen whirlpools that churned into existence and then invert them into drills that arched out of the water. With a yip they spiraled into one another to form a single construct, melding into one large water drill that bore its way into the weakened coral and the spun madly to grate away at it and prevent it from reforming.

* * *

><p><em>Nine seconds…..<em>

Mei finished the seals for her technique as the drill broke through at last and exhaled. From her own lips emerged a dragon that was molten in nature. It bellowed as it slithered through the space and into the opening that had been forming. Within that dark space where the only light was the formation of the two chakras melding into a sphere of destruction, it spied the eye of the Three-Tailed Turtle and lunged….

The roar that followed was the loudest that had been heard so far, the anguish and agony of it making the defensive bud of coral collapse as the two summonings and their charges fled. The pain disrupted the melding, imperfection setting it off. The yang chakra over shadowed the yin and the excess that wasn't devoured ruptured in a thin pillar that broke the storm clouds above the lake and then slowly expanded from its base, a fearsome wind ahead of it and threatening to send the summonings and the shinobi attached to them into the swamplands before it settled. The steam that had risen up and formed a wall obscured their vision as they waited with baited breath to see the outcome of their gamble….

Isobu remained a lot the water, its eye closed as light no longer reached it and hoarse groans left its mouth. Motes of light and darkness appeared once more and tried to congeal into a single mass a second time.

"He just won't quit," Naruto noted.

"_**If Isobu is under the effects of that damnable eye he won't stop as long as he remains standing,**_" Kurama noted with disdain. "_**It forces him to move and fight, a slave in his own body and mind.**_"

"**Lady, got it in you for another light?**" Gamabunta asked. Mei nodded. "**Then I'll provide the oil, you light it on fire.**"

The cheeks of the Toad Boss swelled as he rushed forth and then released a spray of black and crude oil in the form of a funnel-shaped spout. When fire emerged from Mei's lips, it met and a billowing wave of heat formed as the combination slammed into the tailed Beast with enough force to send it reeling.

Isobu wailed in agony as the burning oil transferred the heat through his shell and to the soft flesh beneath. It dove under water to try and alleviate the burn, but the oil kept it alight. Reaching the bottom of the lake, it upturned the silt and tried to smother the flames, only for a maelstrom to form around its mass and pluck both it and the silt into it to form a dirty whirlpool that shot up into a waterspout at the behest of the Nguruvilu Boss.

Sent skyward, Naruto watched as gravity took hold of the Three-Tailed Turtle once the spout capped off and sent Isobu down at an arch, leaving the hulking behemoth crashing down with a large cloud of splinters, dust, and murk in the woodlands. The massive chakra beast groaned and was then encased in a grey-greenish light as his form shrank.

"I think he's down now," Utakata mused.

Kushina shook her head. "There's still one more thing we need to do…"

* * *

><p><em>Mindscape<em>

The mindscape of the Mizukage and Three-Tailed Turtle was a contrast to that of the One-Tailed Raccoon and Gaara of the Desert. Instead of endless sands with only an oasis of relief, it was a never-ending body of water perpetually shrouded in mist, with the only bastion being a chunk of land that peaked in a curve at the top. Kushina, Kurama, Naruto, Saiken, and Utakata all stood there, their gazes fixed on a horrifying sight.

Both Yagura and Isbobu stood in place on the water, empty-eyed with nightmarish chains piercing their bodies and minds from above. At the other end of the chains was the source, a red wheel that spun without end, what looked to be a black three-point shuriken with a tail connecting to the next point making them seem like a second circle within the first.

"The Mangekyo Sharingan," Kushina said softly. She could never forget those same eyes that had ensnared her at one time, forcing her to release the seal binding Kurama inside of her after giving birth. The same design as those of the masked man who threatened to kill her child.

"_**Those same. Damn. Eyes.**_" Kurama snarled. "_**It drove Isobu to fight but it made him lame, a puppet on strings.**_"

Saiken agreed. "_**If he had been himself, Isobu could use a mist to drive away those within it or open a rift to another pocket dimension. That battle would not have been so easy.**_"

"How do we free them?" Naruto asked, ignoring the fact that they called what just transpired an easy battle.

"That eye is a physical manifestation of the chakra holding them in a thrall," Kushina stated. "Because they're already caught they can't escape, so we need to use enough chakra to break them free. If both of the Tailed-Beast work it tandem then it should work and I can apply the seal."

Kurama snorted. Even as it did so, the air around it warped. "_**I alone will suffice.**_"

Naruto backed away as the fox stepped forward. The water beneath its paws began to boil. Steam rose to envelope the limbs and the curled around the tails that menacingly swayed around.

"_**Shameful,**_" the fox spat out with barely constrained fury. "_**We nine, the second sons and daughter of the Sage of Six Paths, the inheritors of his will and vessels that hold the power of the Ten-Tails. Betrayed by those who bore his blood, to be bartered around by the descendant of the second-born of our father and then mentally enslaved by the first-born with those damnable eyes!"**_

The maw opened to reveal fangs. The nine tails curled up and inwards, nine arches that touched down at the opening. Spheres of crimson appeared as his rage was given form. They gathered into one where the nine points of the tail met, pulling towards the gap the entrance of its throat. The orb that formed was a single, violent, throbbing mass of malice.

"**HOW. DARE. THEY!**" A crimson spear of light launched, parting the air with such furiosity that it howled as it sailed towards the spinning eye. It smashed through it with impudence. The mirror-wheel eye crumbled like shattered stained-glass, the chains connected to it dissolving as they tumbled into the waters of the mindscape.

The group watched as the pair, now freed from the chains, collapsed. To hold them under its control for so long had hollowed them out. It would take months or possibly years for them to regain the same level of mental function they once had.

Wisps of crimson left the fox's maw as Kurama turned to Kushina. "_**Get to work, woman. The longer I remain her, the more my fury will boil over.**_"

"If it weren't for the fact that I'm as angry as you are I'd chain that mouth of yours shut," she responded with her eyes closed as she advanced towards the pair. Regardless of their mutual enemy, they were under no circumstances in the mood to pretend to be friendly.

Nevertheless, Kushina set to work.

* * *

><p><em>Some Time Later…<em>

After that battle, once night fell, the group reached what served as a safe-house for the time being. Naruto had showered and dressed in spare clothing they procured some time after the battle, a simple shirt and pants to go with his gloves and sandals. There were a number of rooms in the building, each one having the simplest comforts of a bed, which he desperately needed after so many nights without one, but he couldn't sleep.

Instead he wondered into a room where Kushina sat down in a chair next to Isaribi, who was bandaged more so than when they first met her. A soft whisper was coming out of her lips, a lullaby for the slumbering Maiden of the Sea. When she turned to look at him, her eyes were downcast and somber.

"How are you feeling, Naruto?" she asked.

"Fine, I guess," he said, rubbing his eyes. "How's Isaribi-nee?"

"Isaribi-chan…" Kushina sighed. "If her Kaima Form had dropped any sooner, then she would be dead. It saved her and, now that I've gotten the Contact Scroll back, I sent for Tsunade. But the healers here say that she won't be able to move around well for months with the damage she took."

His expression tightened. "If I had been just a little stronger…"

He trailed off as she shook her head. "If you had been stronger, if we had gotten there earlier, if, if, if… There are no 'ifs' at this point. There never are once the deed is done. Especially not in war…."

Silence ensued as the weight of the words pressed against Naruto.

"We're heading back home," she said slowly, to break the silence after a full two-minutes. "A change in regime doesn't happen overnight, so Kiri will be unstable for a month or so at least. Maybe they'll have themselves in order by the next Chuunin Exams, but I've exposed you and Isaribi-chan to too much in too little time. I'll maintain communication with Mei-san and Utakata-san, but it's time we left."

He found himself agreeing, having had enough of the Bloody Mist for the time being. It had already dyed him and his world in its colors enough.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes: Finally, the Arc Ends!<br>**

**Nguruvilu—**a river-dwelling creature and looks much like a strange fox, with a long body, similar to a snake, and a long tail with fingernails that it uses like a claw; but it's a water-being. Nguruvilus live in and are the cause of dangerous whirlpools which kill people who try to cross rivers. The creatures make the water shallow on either ford, to encourage people to try to cross it making it seem safe.

That's right, I found an already existing creature to be used for summoning that has to do with whirlpools and foxes all in one.


End file.
